2018 is coming up trumps again. Big
titles have been won by an array of faces, the youth of the day mostly being
put in its place - bar a couple of titles picked up by the likes of Naomi Osaka
and Alex Zverev - as the older generation of players harvest yet further
successful yields. Seasoned pros Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner won the
big titles in Indian Wells and Miami respectively - a first masters title for
each player - after years of perhaps punching below their weights, owing to one
reason or another. That is not to say that the younger guns are not firing. Oh,
they are coming, and not just a few. They are coming, snapping at the heels,
champing at the bit. But, tennis is as physical and psychological as it has
ever been, and to constantly develop and find that level on top of the skill
and talent is another thing altogether and takes great patience and hard
work.
In the women's game, Sloane Stephens
has continued her extraordinary ascendancy - from a ranking of outside the
world's top 900 last summer to now the world number 4 position - and Petra
Kvitova and Elina Svitolina have continued their brilliant form from last year,
adding several titles to their collections already this year. Jelena Ostapenko
was recently bundled out of defending her Roland Garros title in the first
round and the kids, in general, are being taught a lesson in experience and
longevity.
Maria Sharapova, Daria Kasatkina, Angelique
Kerber, Anett Kontaveit are some of the names pushing for glory, putting
themselves into the reckoning for big titles this year, as the field in the WTA
ever jostles for prime position, and in Serena Williams' continued comeback
period the winning circle remains a large one.
Roger Federer (Australian Open) and Rafael
Nadal (French Open), yet again, have the two majors on the men's side so far
this year (and last six in total shared equally between themselves), and who
would go against that trend continuing in the coming grass court season -
Federer's territory. The ladies' is somewhat more refreshing, with two
first-time major winners in Caroline Wozniacki (Australian Open) and Simona
Halep (French Open), both having reached the world number one mantle before
claiming those big wins. Suffice it to say, they both reaped the rewards
of endless hard work and belief and who could deny that both have thoroughly
deserved their successes thus far this season? That means that since Serena won
the Australian Open in 2017 - several weeks into her pregnancy - that four of
the five ladies' slam winners won a first grand slam title (Ostapenko at Roland
Garros 2017, Stephens at US Open 2017, Halep and Wozniacki as mentioned above).
The other, Wimbledon last year, was a second major title for Garbiñe Muguruza.
Dramatically, everything is as wide open as ever, every event having multiple
possible winners, which simply cannot be said for the men’s draws at present.
The men’s and women’s tours and
situations regarding the majors couldn't be more different right now, and that
certainly makes the dynamics between the two tours colourful and while everyone
wants to constantly compare the two directly, well, both are revealing their
depth and magic in totally different ways.
