Grand Slam tournaments are the perfect setting, the maximum window for young tennis players between the ages of 17 and 22 to appear in the qualifying draws and with good performances advance to play in the main draw of 128 players and from there project to great heights.
Stefanos Tistsipas was shockingly beaten by 21-year-old Swiss Dominik Stricker in dramatic 5 sets. There are another 12 youngsters installed in the second round, highlighting the Czech Jakub Mensik, 17 years old, the French Fils, 19, the Italians Arnaldi and Sinner, 22 each, the Argentines Baez and Juan Cerundolo, 22 and 21, the Americans Shelton, 20 and Michelsen 19, the Australians Hijikata 22 and Drapper 21 and the most stellar tennis player of all Carlitos Alcaraz with 20 years of age and defending champion of this US OPEN.
The reasons why new names emerge are the following: First, neither Roger Federer nor Rafa Nadal are gone, leaving two huge gaps in the draws and providing an opportunity for new figures to enter. Second, all these youngsters and their coaches are bold, they sacrifice and prefer to participate in the professional tournaments of the ITF and ATP to obtain points and advance to have the opportunity to enter the qualifications of the Grand Slams where there are more spaces to qualify. and the opportunity to play with the highest ranked players.
New names appear in the women, but not like in the men, because now players from retirement are returning because the prizes are higher and many of them are in excellent physical shape, as is the case of Svitolina and Wosniaki. This is not the case of Venus Williams who, at 43 years old, continues to play, dragging her enormous prestige, losing in the first rounds due to real beatings, taking away the young women’s opportunity.
2023-08-31 01:28:06
#names #Open
