Roland Garros - We are Witnessing a Phenomenon

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(Edited)

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Before proceeding with the write-up, someone brought my attention to the fact that I wrongly tagged Leofinance in this post. Be free to downvote if it appears on your Leofinance page and it comes with an unreserved apology.

This years tournament is currently in its third round and about to enter the fourth. But this isn't particularly about the tournament itself though. Rather, it is about the fact that the same players [or in the French open's case, player for men] have been dominating for two whole decades now.

Two decades in tennis is a long time, certainly enough to describe each decade as having a distinct generation of players. Yet the same players who have been at the very top through the decades still enter as overwhelming favorites.

This is particularly true for men, where Nadal and Djokovic have held the top positions with an iron fist. As it is clay season, this is Nadal's turn to dominate proceedings and is favorite for this particular tournament while Novak takes a backseat? well time will tell. Even Federer has remained relevant at 39 which is quite impressive considering the fast paced, hard striking nature of the Men's game.

For women, it is less glamorous. There have been decent runs of consistency from some talented players in the past such as Kim Clijsters, Justin Henin, Maria Sharapova and more recently Naomi Osaka. However, these dominant runs tend to thin out after a year or two to really consider any player as holding a grip on the division. However, there has been one exception to this going by the name Serena Williams.

Serena's run has spanned three decades now and while she hasn't necessarily been very active, she has undeniably been dominant. With 23 grand slams to her belt, she enters every tournament a favorite no matter her seeding. While there have been years of injury and loss of form, she has always found a way to bounce back and remain relevant, at 39 years old.

Unlike the men's game, the women's game may be just as athletic but it doesn't carry as much speed and power. Serena's game has always been a power game, possessing one of the most dangerous serves in Women's tennis history - a skill which she has honed to become a weapon. I believe it is one of the reasons why she stays dominant in the division.

I certainly don't think we appreciate what we are witnessing, which is why I described it as a phenomenon. To have players dominate for so long is not normal in any sport. I doubt we will witness such dominance in the sport for some time to come , but for now let's just appreciate these gladiators.



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4 comments
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Just be careful using the leofinance tag as it will show up in leofinance and wont be well received.

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Good point. I expect some downvotes coming my way...to be honest I didn't put in much thought when tagging after the first two

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