Sports Then and Now

Wimbledon may well be in its primary stages and understandably, all participants’ attentions will be firmly set on the All England Club but the fourth and final major of the year will be next on the agenda. The US Open is set for its 139^th edition in August, as Flushing Meadows gets set to host the prestigious event whereby the world’s best players will all compete for a place in US Open folklore.

The favorites for the men’s singles title contain some familiar names as well as a few surprise picks, but their Wimbledon performances will hold plenty of bearing on how their odds shape up nearer the time. Ahead of the start of the tournament on 26^th August, we’ll take a closer look at the favorites.

Novak Djokovic 6/4

It’s no surprise to see Novak Djokovic sit top in the US Open men’s winner odds, as the hard-hitting Serbian embarks on his fourth win at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic is the current champion and will be the main man to beat once more. If Djokovic is at his best, it’ll take a monumental effort to stop him.

Rafael Nadal 9/2

The undisputed “King of Clay” will also be looking for his fourth US Open crown, and Rafael Nadal’s price of 9/2 suggests he’ll be there or thereabouts again. Still fresh from his 12^th French Open success, Nadal will need to avoid any potential banana skins in the earlier rounds and if he does get to the latter stages, he’ll be very hard to beat.

It was a long road back for Novak Djokovic to claim the 2018 Wimbledon title.

In the sports world it is interesting how two years can feel like a lifetime. It was only two years ago that Novak Djokovic had entered Wimbledon as the first men’s player in nearly 50 years to hold all four tennis major titles at the same, yet, much has transpired in the tennis world from that moment until Djokovic finally hoisted another major trophy with a three set win over Kevin Anderson at the 2018 Wimbledon.

Initially, the stunning third round loss by Djokovic to Sam Querry at the 2016 Wimbledon looked like just a blimp on the radar. Djokovic solidified his place as the number one player in the world by reaching the finals at the U.S. Open, though he lost in four sets to Stan Wawrinka.

What no one could have predicted at the time was that not only would Djokovic not win another major for nearly two years, but after making the finals in 19 of the previous 25 majors would not get past the quarterfinals in six straight majors and would fall out of the top 20 in the world rankings.

After losing in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open and quarterfinals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, Djokovic missed the 2017 U.S. Open due to an elbow injury. He reached the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open, but after the tournament underwent elbow surgery.

It was a good sign that he was able to return for the 2018 French Open, but a four set loss to unranked Marco Cecchinato gave new question as to whether Djokovic would ever return to his previous form.

When Djokovic held all four major titles entering the 2016 Wimbledon not only had he done something previously done only by Rod Laver in the open era, but he was beginning to make a case for himself as the greatest player of his era, perhaps even ahead of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

However, over the past two years not only did Djokovic struggle, but Nadal and Federer both had a resurgence.

After combining for only one major title between 2014 and 2016 (Nadal winning 2014 French Open), Nadal and Federer split the four majors in 2017 (Federer won Australian and Wimbledon and Nadal claimed French and U.S. Open). They then began 2018 with Federer repeating at the Australian Open for his 20^th Grand Slam and Nadal winning the French Open for his 17^th.

Though Djokovic’s win at the 2018 Wimbledon breaks that streak and gives him 13 major titles, the 31-year-old now has much more work to do if he hopes to significantly narrow the gap between his titles and those of his two rivals. Read the rest of this entry →

Roger Federer is looking to add to his career earnings and to post his 19th Grand Slam title during Wimbledon 2017.

It’s no secret that tennis players earn a considerable amount during their careers. Wimbledon 2017 has just begun and the total prize money this year has risen to a staggering £31.6 million. Although players compete for the championship title, and the single’s prize fund of £2.2 million, every player that competes receives money- even if they don’t win. Some players have reached the $100 million mark in their career earnings.

Novak Djokovic

The Serbian player has been listed as the highest earning tennis player for the past few years. His total career earnings from prizes come in at $109,320,581 to date. His income is owed to his extremely successful career, which has seen him win a total of 775 matches. His worth could be set to increase if he is successful at this year’s Wimbledon championships, where he will compete against some of the world’s best players. Djokovic is sponsored by leading companies such as Adidas, Uniqlo and Head.

Rodger Federer

Federer has been sponsored by luxury brands such as Nike, Rolex and Mercedes-Benz for several years. The 35 year old, who plays tennis for Switzerland, has only recently been overtaken by Djokovic as the highest earner. His career prize money totals $104,002,250 and he has won a huge 1,099 matches since he began playing professionally in 1998. In 2016, he was the oldest player to make a Grand Slam final although he hasn’t shown any indication that he plans to retire soon. Read the rest of this entry →

Novak Djokovic claimed his 11th grand slam title and sixth Australian Open.

Since the turn of the 21st Century, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have won a combined total of 31 grand slam singles titles to rank first and tied for second all-time. They seemingly have been the dominant faces of the men’s tennis world, yet, at the end of the day it now looks possible that they both could be overtaken by another player who once lived in their shadow.

With his three-set victory over Andy Murray in the finals of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic claimed his third straight major championship and has now won 10 major titles since 2011 and 11 overall.

Nearing his 29th birthday, Djokovic is now tied with Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver for fifth all-time in major championships. He has won five of the last seven and many think he could become the first men’s player since Laver in 1969 (the first year of the open era) to win all four major championships in the same year.

Even if he doesn’t claim all four this year, Djokovic can become the first men’s player since Laver to hold all four major titles at the same time if he can win the French Open in June.

He nearly won the grand slam last year as it was only a four-set loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open Finals that kept him from the amazing feat in 2015.

If his dominating victory over Murray is any indication, Djokovic is a man at the peak of his game ready for the challenge associated with achieving new heights. Read the rest of this entry →

All eyes will be on Serena Williams and her attempt at the calendar year grand slam.

One of the great locations to watch Grand Slam tennis is Flushing Meadows, especially when the match is close and the atmosphere becomes electric in a distinctly New York kind of way. The best seat in the house is in the elevated bleachers high above the baseline inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, as you get up-close and personal with some of the best players in the world.

Tennis is a sport with a long season full of ups and downs for players. Studying for an online masters in coaching shows how professional athletes like these must survive the mentally and physically grueling pace of the games. The U.S. Open begins August 31^st and is scheduled through September 13^th of this year. A lot is expected from the players, and here are a few determined to do well.

Serena Is the Talk of Broadway
One of the themes that has emerged on the WTA Tour this year is that Serena Williams is capable of blasting the competition off the tennis court. Her play has become increasingly aggressive with each passing Grand Slam, and it is pretty clear that a triumphant win at the U.S. Open would be a great achievement for Williams. She has made a career of surpassing expectations and frustrating opponents and is capable of doing it again in Flushing Meadows. The tennis world is longing for this type of a compelling story, and there’s no one more qualified to pull this off than Williams herself.
Read the rest of this entry →

Novak Djokovic lifted the championship trophy for the third time at the 2015 Wimbledon.

With his ninth tennis grand slam championship, Novak Djokovic has now separated himself from some of the greatest tennis players of all-time and seems to be on a path for even greater heights before his journey is complete.

In an era where Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have clearly distinguished themselves as historic champions, Djokovic has been that irritating pebble in the shoe that has kept both of those stars from achieving even greater success.

His victory over Federer in the Wimbledon final marked the second straight year he has defeated the 17-time grand slam champion in the finals. He also has a 3-4 career record in finals against Nadal.

Clearly the number one player in the world, Djokovic will now set his sights on the U.S. Open, a tournament in which he has reached the finals five times. However, he has not won the title since 2011 and last year failed to reach the finals for the first time since 2009.

Having passed Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Fred Perry and Ivan Lendl, who each won eight grand slam titles during their careers, Djokovic now aims to become just the eighth player in history to reach double digits. He will match Bill Tilden with his next victory and then would aim for Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, who each won 11 grand slam titles.

While Djokovic will focus on growing his grand slam trophy collection at Wimbledon and then next year in Australia, you know that in the back of his mind is the French Open where his surprising loss to Stan Wawrinka kept him from reaching the career grand slam. Read the rest of this entry →