Men's Tennis is Amazing

Hey folks.  It's been awhile since I've posted an entry, simply because the restart of school has kept me pretty busy.  And of course, by busy, I mean trudging through the wealth of content in my advanced accounting classes, then letting my brain rest by playing video games.  It's a hard life, I know.

The US Open ended recently, with Serena Williams finishing her awesome summer with yet another big victory, and Andy Murray claiming his first major championship by defeating the best hard court player in the world right now, Novak Djokovic.  Watching parts of the Murray-Djokovic showdown reminded me of my love for tennis, and the excitement that these players can produce.  I, like many, prefer watching men's tennis, as the game is faster and more powerful.  Today I wanted to share some thoughts as to why I think we are in a can't-miss era of men's tennis, and why we need to continue to watch the scene closely.

Andy Murray won his first major championship match after falling short four times, most recently at Wimbledon when Roger Federer took his throne back, going through Murray.  Many have felt for awhile that Murray's time to reign would be soon, but you can't blame the guy for continually getting to semi-finals and finals and falling just short.  It's time to once again share my favorite sports statistic: since 2006 and prior to Murray's win, only one man not named Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic (Juan Martin Del Potro) had won a major.  2006, people.  Do you remember 2006?  It was my first year of college.  The Super Bowl that year featured the Steelers and Seahawks.  It's been a long time.  Think about it: four majors every year, and three men have been winning all of the tournaments for the last six years.

So why is that appealing?  It's all of the little moments that have come with this tireless reign that have defined this exciting time in men's tennis.  Djokovic didn't fully blossom until a couple years ago, and he had an impressive and dominant year last year.  Before him, Federer and Nadal dominated the scene, seemingly appearing in every single major final.  The rivalry was emotional and strong, and seeing these two battle on the grandest stages of tennis was spectacular.  Other guys like Murray, Del Potro, and Robin Soderling have hinted at dethroning the triumvirate over the years, pulling the occasional upset over one member of the big three, only to fall short against another one of them (with the exception of Del Potro and now Murray).

Now that Murray has taken his place as a true contender, winning the gold medal in London and now the US Open, I can't wait for what next year will hold.  Murray and the big three have been mainstays in major tournament semifinals over the years, and it wouldn't be farfetched to see these four guys in the finals of the next major, the Australian Open, again.  Once they get there, it becomes unpredictable.  You never know which of these four guys will have the best game on any given day.  With Federer aging and Nadal dealing with injuries, many believe it is now time for the Djokovic/Murray rivalry to hold center stage in 2013.  Others believe that Federer and Nadal are certainly not done yet, and will come back rested and ready at the start of next year.

No matter how it may turn out, I can't wait for the next tennis season to roll around.  We are in a time where four men are in a class above all of the rest.  Will they hold court?  Will new talent emerge and break through?  Are Federer and Nadal going to pass the torch and ride off into the sunset, or are they going to take over again in 2013?  Murray's win at the US Open has left all of us tennis fans salivating for the next season, and you would be foolish not to turn in and catch the excitement.