The New Evolution in Tennis

Federer, Nadal and Sampras

Men’s tennis has gone through many changes and evolution over the last few decades. The 70s saw Bjon Borg and his mesmerising topspin that bedazzled nearly every person who dared him at the net. The 80s saw power and professionalism in tennis through Ivan Lendl- the tennis version of “Terminator”. This set the tone for a quicker game and more merciless champions. Most of what we see today in terms of game is as a result of that change in topspin, focus on power rather than touch and stern professionalism to meet the demands of the game through the year. 

However, somewhere along the way another change had happened that seemed to go away unnoticed. No more do you see multiple champions winning slams, over the last 17 years, three men namely Sampras, Federer and Nadal have won nearly 55% of all slams that have been played. This is a dominance that is unprecedented and if one were to look at slams played between 2003 and now nearly 75% of slams have been won by the duo Federer-Nadal and neither man seems done. This is a telling fact and one that reveals a hidden evolution in the game.

It’s long been recognised that tennis and other sports at the highest level are determined by mental toughness rather than talent. The new evolution in tennis champions is not as much in terms of their game as much as their mental edge. The new generation of champions are far superior in terms of mental toughness vis-a-vis their peers as compared to champions from the past. They truly seem to be a completely different animal in the head!

Rafael Nadal Will Be Back in Force

As Robin Soderling completed his now famous victory over the undisputed king of clay Rafael Nadal, stories of the spaniard’s crumbling aura began to surface. However, with Nadal’s lengthy injury break the stories turned into odes signaling the end of Nadal era at slams. These stories largely belly a common notion that Nadal cannot keep up the frenetic pace of tennis and his body will likely capitulate. While a crippling injury might happen, the odds that Nadal would go through one are no more than a Djokovich or a Murray. Here one must remember that Rafa has a natural tendency to gain muscle mass and that’s been the secret to his power at a young age. Therefore he does have a strong body and one that can take a ton of punishment. As he grows older Nadal as many other greats before him will take precautions in terms of the tournaments he competes in yearly.

Ok so Nadal’s body can hold but can he get back the aura of invincibility that he enjoyed over his peers and in particular Federer? The answer for this is yes he can get back “an aura” but perhaps not “the aura” he’s used to. One must remember that Nadal has had the best run of any clay court player in history at slams including Borg and such an achievement reflects a superlative peak that is rarely surpassed. Federer has struggled to repeat his 81-4 record of 2005 and almost as surely Nadal will struggle to win 3-4 titles consecutively at the French. But make no mistake about it given the man’s determination and talent he will be better at the US open in years to come and needless to add reclaim the crown of King of Clay.