Not long ago there was “worried chatter” that with the retirement (or slowing down) of the “Big Four,” men’s tennis would “lose its oomph,” however, the new class of Gen Zers are re-energizing the sport, according to Laura Pullman of the London TIMES. Players such as Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper, are “bringing more fizz, not less.” Three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert said, “Everybody’s talking tennis, especially since the French Open. That really lit a fire. There are a lot of new faces and we’re hearing different stories now, not about the same players but about different players.” Pullman wonders when did tennis get “so fun, alluring and, frankly, sexy?” However, Pullman noted “there is a dark side to this bonanza.” The game today is “ferociously commodified,” which means the off-court demands of being a modern star are “greater than ever.” Top players do not “have the luxury of laying low.” Training drills, viral dances and daily routines “are all fodder for the players’ social media accounts.” And some are “more willing to play the social media game than others” (London TIMES, 6/29).
CONTROL THE COURT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Joshua Robinson wrote players Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are “heavy favorites to continue a streak of dominance” that has now lasted for more than a year. The world’s No.1 and No. 2-ranked players have swept the past six major titles and “generally seemed in a class of their own.” But Robinson wrote the “real question is how the dynamic evolves between the pair of champions dubbed the New Two” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/29). ESPN’s Chris Fowler said, “Alcaraz has a chance, I think, by winning his third (Wimbeldon) in a row, his sixth major, to really proclaim this the Alcaraz Era, not the Alcaraz/Sinner Era. … If he leaves here champion again, that’s a strong statement.” ESPN’s John McEnroe: “He’s beaten Sinner, I believe, now five times in a row, and that counts for something. As someone who’s been around the game for a long time, you need rivalries. We don’t necessarily just blow by everybody” (“Wimbledon,” ESPN, 6/30).
NEXT GEN OF RIVALRIES: In D.C., Ava Wallace writes Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka “gave fans a glance at something women’s tennis has been missing: a modern rivalry.” Both players are “invested in publicly downplaying any hint of personal ire.” In the French Open final, the Belarusian “drew heavy criticism for her post-match comments,” in which she repeatedly “lamented the poor weather and largely failed to give her American rival her due.” However, Wallace notes tennis “thrives with rivalries.” While the men’s game has “seamlessly transitioned” from the Big Three era to Alcaraz and Sinner, “picking apart each other’s souls,” the women’s game has not “enjoyed a meaty rivalry” since Serena Williams and Justine Henin played each other 14 times between 2001 and 2010. But even that “felt limp” compared with the 80 matches Martina Navratilova and Evert contested. Wallace writes the Gauff and Sabalenka rivalry “is in its infancy at best.” They have met 11 times, but three of their past six meetings have come in Grand Slam finals or semifinals (WASHINGTON POST, 6/30). THE ATHLETIC’s O’Neill & Eccleshare wrote at Wimbledon Friday, though, Sabalenka and Gauff “practiced together and did a dance for TikTok on court, a Sabalenka hallmark.” Gauff posted on TikTok: “The olive branch was extended and accepted! We’re good, so you guys should be too.” Then Wimbledon itself “endorsed that message.” O’Neill: “Does this completely end the rivalry? No, it just takes the edge off it. … Why defuse something that tennis fans want to be exciting?” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/29).
