Running 2020 Tennis Thread

Good point. I really don’t think Serena will get to 24.

 

Yep. At this point her age and weight work against her. Too many good, younger players out there.

 

Yes, not overrated, per se, but the pool of players is just good enough to beat her late in the tournament - after she’s expended a lot to get there - and not good enough to send her home in the first week.

But she may stick around awhile. The sport needs her, she needs the sport. When she retires, the media probably not going to come around much and the ad deals will slow down. I don’t envision her as a broadcaster, but who knows.

 

Careful with that thought.

Look at Fed’s first 2/3 of his career, there was nobody challenging him. That’s why I respect Djoker and Murray so much, they won even with Fed and Nadal in full flight.

Serena has to deal with Sharapova (grand slam lifetime) Henin, Clijsters, Venus, even Capriati. It’s wasn’t a cakewalk every time.

 

Djokovic turned pro the year Federer won his first Grand Slam (2003), Nadal two years before that. Murray in 2005. Djoker's been around a lot longer than many realize.

He's pretty much dealt with them for most of his career. He also dealt with Agassi (career Grand Slam) the first nine years of his career. Even in the early 2000s, you had Hewitt, Kuerten, Rafter, Safin, Henman, Ferrero . . . even Roddick.

 

First, he’s had a 20 year career, so the 2/3 puts us in 2013. So, no, it wouldn’t be 2/3, it’d be 1/3.

Second...Nobody? Agassi, Hewitt, Roddick, Nadal comes around 05, etc. Nobody?

If not for Federer, Roddick wins 4, 5 majors.

Meanwhile, Williams - in her prime - won 13 majors. She’s won 10 since she turned 30. That is, after Henin retired. She (and Venus) were Williams rivals.

I give Serena credit. She didn’t need the money after some point, and yet she forged ahead. A lot of players win 2-3 majors, take their foot off the gas knowing they’ve secured a lifetime of whatever. Williams didn’t.

 

Henin beat Serena in three consecutive majors in 2007.

 

Serena played it smart because she COULD play it smart.

Didn't need the money. Didn't need the ranking points. Didn't need to be traipsing all over the globe in search of both and burning herself out 12 months a year.

So she picked her spots carefully. She turned pro three years BEFORE Roger Federer and has played 524 FEWER matches. That'll keep you around a bit longer.

Of course, Federer didn't go around stepping on broken glass and missing several tournaments due to "emergency dental surgery," either.

 

Short list of women who won a major after giving birth. Court, Goolagong and Clijsters.