The Year Tennis Almost Died
In 2017 the Men's Tennis world face a a CROSSROADS. Great men would fall, others would fade but despite the seemingly BLEAK future of the game, TWO men would rise from the ASHES. Their purpose was simple, to restore the SPORT to the GLORY days of the once thought of past, GOLDEN ERA.
THIS is their Story!
US Open 2017, the final slam of the year, the biggest slam
of the year where all the best players in the world battle one last time to be
a grand slam champion. This event in the past has seen some of the greatest
matches of all time, has seen several players play off into the
sunset and has boasted the biggest crowds the sport has to offer. Everyone
plays the US Open, no one dares miss it. This year however, in the men’s game,
something is different. 5 of the top 10 male players in the world are not in
the tournament. It was the final straw in what was a season ravaged by injury.
Never before has the sport of tennis suffered the loss of so many big name, top
end players, Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka, Raonic, Nishikori and there was more.
This can cripple any sport. Imagine the NBA without
LeBron, Curry, Durant, Westbrook and Leonard or the NHL without Crosby,
McDavid, Ovechkin, Kane, and Matthews or even more accurate, seeing as in
single sports, each player represents a whole entity for a fan base it would be more like an
NFL season without New England, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and New York Jets.
It would be kind of hard to commit to, wouldn’t it? You still love the sport, but given the average interest of a fan in the tennis challenger circuit, it’s
safe to assume the stars make the sport of tennis the global attraction that it
is.
Australian Open 2017: The year started fairly routine for
the men. The tournament favorite was the Novak Djokovic, the 7 time Aussie
champ. This year he was coming in as the second seed behind rival and 5 time
finalist Andy Murray, both would be out before the quarters. Making his
comeback, departed from the game since August of 2016 was Roger Federer.
Federer had a tough draw and the feeling was, if he could see the second week
of the slam, it would be a successful return. Nadal on the other hand had a
2016 that was far below his standards. Looking pedestrian in some losses and
overall his mojo had dissipated. Both future hall of famers kept marching on
and suddenly they were each one win away from a final in a grand slam together,
their first in almost 6 years. Both survived 5 set semifinals and the match
every fan, organizer, broadcaster and sponsor wanted, was on! And it delivered.
A five set masterpiece with a plot twist no one saw coming. Roger Federer in
his first tournament back from the longest lay off in his career, laid demons to
rest as he came from behind in the 5th and went on to lift his 18th Grand Slam title. It was a
classic. A match up that most thought was a thing of the past.
Fast forward to the Masters Double – by now the season was
settling in. In the mind of many, this marks the “go time” for the tennis
season. Federer took to Indian Wells like it was 2006 and on his way to the
winning the championship he once again dispatched, with relative ease, his old
rival Nadal. The comeback was looking more like a comeback from Superman rather
than an aging tennis star. On to Miami… Federer couldn’t pull of the double? It’s
a rare feat and one that he hadn’t done in over a decade. Federer went on to
win Miami making the tennis world’s imagination swirl. Did the most beloved
start in the sport find some way to regain prime form? Federer once again
handed Nadal a loss in the finals. Not even the man who throttled Federer’s
prime was able to stop him anymore. But let’s not overlook Nadal’s
accomplishments. Many had relegated him to mid-card status in 2016 and here he
was making hard court finals again. Still
Djokovic and Murray continued struggling on court. Raonic had begun to miss
tournaments and so did other top end players. Heading into the clay season,
could Nadal once again be the odds on favorite to win? Federer had made
the uncharacteristic call to avoid the entire clay season. Who could argue,
whatever he was doing was working.
Nadal went on to dominate the clay season like years long
past and claimed his 10th French Open. HIS 10TH! Federer went on to win his 8th
Wimbledon cursing through the Championships without dropping a set. What is
going on?
Nadal claimed the final slam in New York in what was
considered the most watered down slam in recent history but no matter, that made it 2 slams for
Federer and 2 for Nadal. Throw in a bunch of Masters Titles and the two were
living out 2004-2008 all over again and the tennis world was loving every
minute of it, well, maybe not the other players. Sure some young stars were
making some claims, Zverev, Shapovalov, Thiem … but ultimately they were
fillers for the real story in play.
By the time the inaugural Laver Cup came around, Djokovic,
Raonic, Murray. Nishikori and Wawrinka had closed up shop for the year. Once
again, however, that did not stop the sport from shining thanks to the strong
and sturdy backs of Federer and Nadal. The Laver Cup was a brilliant idea
pitting Team Europe, coached by Bjorn Borg vs the Rest of the World lead by
John McEnroe. You know what that means??? Federer and Nadal were on the same
team. On the second day of this event the two teamed up to form the “Dream Team”.
Federer and Nadal would play doubles together. Despite at one point in the match, Nadal almost smashing
his Babolat frame into Federer’s brains, the Dream Team would reign supreme. Team Europe would eventually prevail when Federer clinched it by
downing Kyrgios in a tight match. Watching Nadal cheer on Federer for a title
was a unique and surreal moment for fans who had spent a decade and a half
following their combative careers. When Federer was struggling he would look to the
sidelines and see a pumped up Nadal cheering him on. Think about that one for a
moment.
2017 was a unique and special year for the sport of men’s
tennis. No one wants to see injuries plague a season like that ever again. With
too many great players sidelined, you just lose the innate drama that comes
with tennis. Still, despite some diluted draws the tennis God’s stepped in and
gave fans of the sport a gift. How often we look back at the past and wish
those good old days would return? Well for one tennis season, they did. Federer
and Nadal stepped in like superhero’s and catapulted the sport to new heights
in a year that could have been disastrous. Once again we were reminded of the
great age of tennis where two of the best players in the history of the game
walked together and faced off against each other and this year, even teamed
with one another.
In 2018 the big names should return, the young faces should
rise and when they do, the sport will shine bright. But should the names fail to make their return and the youngsters fall short of their potential, fear not cause so long
as there is Federer and Nadal on the court, Grand Slams will provide magic,
Rankings will draw drama, and legacies will continue to grow to greater heights
than ever imagined. For when all hope is lost, Fedal will be there! Again and again and
again….
