Has Djokovic’s dominance impacted men’s tennis?
Novak Djokovic is one of the most dominant athletes in the world. The Serbian tennis sensation has won 12 Grand Slams over an illustrious career and is the current men’s world number one. But his dominance in the game has meant there has been little room for challengers since his rise to prominence.
Yes, the argument could be made that his old foe Roger Federer is that resistance, but the debate goes much deeper than that. In a recent infographic, which can be viewed below, it showed that in Grand Slams (US Open, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon) 19 men compared to 34 women reached the semi-finals in the last decade.
Serena Williams’s dominance obviously draws comparisons to Djokovic’s reign at the summit of men’s tennis, but there’s a much more even playing field underneath one of the United States’ most successful tennis stars of all time. Another interesting statistic that the aforementioned infographic highlighted is the unseeded quarterfinalists in the Grand Slams over the last decade. News Bwin’s infographic and research showed 26 unseeded women reached the lofty heights of the quarterfinals compared to only 11 men.
There’s no question Williams and Djokovic are prevailing in tennis as the sport’s number one players but such unpredictability in the women’s game has prompted many journalists to ask: Is women’s tennis more exciting? The statistics represented in the infographic certainly suggest that. The probability of upsets in women’s Grand Slam tennis is much higher, and let’s face it, everyone loves an underdog.
Women’s tennis saw a huge milestone this year as Flavia Pennetta managed to snap Williams’s Grand Slam sweep this year and claim her first Championship in the singles competition. And for those reasons alone, the men’s game should be looking over their shoulders because the women’s is most definitely more competitive at the present time.
David South: David has been an avid sports fan since he went to watch his first Wimbledon match in 1998. Currently he contributes to several tennis websites as well as a football publication. When not writing about his favorite tennis players, David also enjoys coffee and training for marathons.