🎾 ‘GOATS’ vs Next Gen: A Changing of the Guard?

As another year of action-packed tennis is upon us, the players seem to get little downtime. Most have just finished the new ATP Cup tournament, which has come under scrutiny from some of the top players who had only recently competed in November’s Davis Cup Finals. Effectively two ‘World Cups’ in under 2 months – this seemed somewhat unnecessary. However, with the commencement of the Australian Open, the usual suspects are tipped to battle it out for the prestigious first slam of the year. But how are the ‘GOATS’ (Rafa, Roger & Novak) managing to sustain their long reign of dominance, thus preventing the ‘next generation’ from breaking through?

It’s safe to say these three have taken the sport to a new level in terms of their seemingly eternal consistency and longevity. But that’s only scratching the surface. The game has become more intense, rallies longer, flexibility integral; players hit the ball harder, serve faster and their attention to detail is remarkable. New technology, better nutrition and recovery methods allow players to prevent injuries occurring as frequently and also enable them to bounce back more quickly. We could go on… But when we talk about what really separates these guys from the ‘next generation’, it boils down to three key factors: unbelievable mental strength, relentless consistency and astonishing fitness levels. More to follow from me on this…