For most of the last decade during tennis' "golden
age" on the men's tour, the sport has mostly steered clear of major
controversies. The Big Four clearly
reigned supreme, and everyone else seemed to know their place. There may have been some minor dustups
between members of the Big Four (notably Federer and Djokovic), but they've
largely gotten along given how often they run up against each other. They all seemed to realize they're more
marketable if they "keep it classy", and have taken steps to maintain
pristine images.
It looked like the next generation was going to follow in
the Big Four's footsteps in terms of their images. Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Juan Martin Del
Potro and Grigor Dimitrov all seem to be liked by other players and fans, and
minus a few harsh words by Serena aimed at Dimitrov there hasn't been much
controversy following this group. However,
they've also failed to take the next step to consistently challenge the Big
Four on the court (or are at least taking their sweet time in doing so).
Just when the ATP Tour thought it was safe and that juniors
would learn from the Big Four, along came the even younger and more talented
group of players such as Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Borna Coric,
Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev. This
group has gotten a lot of attention following Kyrgios' recent controversy, and
people seem to be realizing what the tour could be in for as the Big Four
begins to wind down. (Though at this
rate it seems like Federer will still be firmly entrenched in the top ten when
he's 47). All of the above players are
extremely talented and should be some of the tour's best over the next decade,
but are widely considered to be varying degrees of temperamental or controversial.
Everyone has their opinion about whether the tour is better
or worse with some controversial players at the top, and it's hard to reach a
definitive answer. Some tennis purists
will hate it, others will enjoy the added intrigue, and the rest will find some
controversy entertaining so long as it doesn't go past a certain point. Regardless of one's opinion on the issue,
it's looking like it won't be long until we once again find out what it's like
to have controversial figures ruling the sport.
There's a chance they'll tone it down as they get older and
realize they're losing potential endorsements.
Djokovic and Murray were considered controversial to some extent when
they were newer on tour, but now both are incredibly well respected. However, at this point it's hard to see all
(or even most) of this younger group making such a transition. Assuming they don't, tennis fans may soon
feel like they're stepping back into the McEnroe and Connors years of the 70s
and 80s, as opposed to following the "golden age" of the Big Four.
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