Men’s tennis continues to be a three-horse race

Tennis News
Novak Djokovic Wimbledon trophy
  • August 13, 2019

Most tennis bettors around the world would react in the same way when asked who they were planning to put their money on at the 2019 US Open – for there are only three possible names worth considering.

It won’t come as any surprise that the three players in question are Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

For anyone not quite as up-to-date with how especially prolific these three have been of late, the trio has shared the last 11 Grand Slams between them in a run that goes back to January 2017. One-way traffic doesn’t quite do the current situation justice given how dominant the Big Three have been and really, the other contenders are just making up the numbers as things stand.

No one can hold a candle to them, which begs the question: will that change at the US Open? The diplomatic answer would be it doesn’t seem like it after they have gone unbeaten in Grand Slams for the last 900 days. The brutal truth is there isn’t the slightest shred of evidence that might suggest we are likely to see someone else step up and stop this domination.

Some may argue Nick Kyrgios is primed to win his first Grand Slam after triumphing at the Washington Open but as impressive as the Australian’s sixth ATP title win was, it still seems like he isn’t mentally ready to overcome one of the Big Three just yet. Other than the mercurial Kyrgios from down under, there doesn’t look to be anyone ready to break the stranglehold of Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer.

In fact, aging might be the only real opposition to these greats as they begin to get older but even so, they are managing to swat away Father Time with the same disdain they show to their opponents on tour.

It will become even harder to fathom just how successful these three players have been once they do eventually retire given the run they have had over the last 16 years. Even looking back on their careers now whilst they are still active, the numbers are hard to process; having now won 54 Grand Slams titles between them after Djokovic’s Wimbledon victory. It’s quite astounding really and maybe from now on, we should add another definite onto the list of life’s certainties of death and taxes, with the latest addition being one of the Big Three winning a Grand Slam.

Which begs the question: Has there ever been an easier sport to call in the history of sports?

In fact, their unprecedented run probably settles any debate on whether you should try your luck across the field when wagering or only bet on one sport, given the likelihood of one of them winning. After all, if you follow tennis on a regular basis then you know there aren’t many, if any, who can get the better of the three and it goes without saying that many punters have profited handsomely from their long run of continued excellence.

That run doesn’t seem to be coming to end anytime soon and there is every reason to believe that they will make it 12 Grand Slams in a row between them and 55 in total. Who you put the house on one out of the three at the start of the US Open is another matter but you just know, as sure as a day follows night, that one of them will be lifting the trophy at the end.

 

Latest