US Open Tennis Preview: Which is better? A 3 Horse Race On The Men's Side Or A Wide Open Field On The Women's Side?
The US Open for Tennis starts in only a few weeks starting at the End of August going 2 weeks ending in early September. While both the Men and Women draws seem likely to be interesting tournaments filled with great tennis, the competitive nature of both couldn't be more different. On the Men's side, it's a 3 horse chase, featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. The Women's Side has a completely wide open field with Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniaki, Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, and many other talented young players chasing after the US Open title like it's anyone's to take.
There is no real favorite on the Women's side, while on the Men's side, Novak Djokovic is heavily favored to take the US Open crown back to Serbia. This polarizing effect of Men's tennis being limited to three contenders and Women's tennis being limited to nobody (even Wild Cards seem to have a shot now) makes watching both sides of the Men and Women very different experiences.
The Men seem to be following the same trend. Federer has an intense fight with either Nadal or Djokovic in one semi-final, and Andy Murray is on cruise control until he gets mauled in the other Semi-Final match by Nadal or Djokovic. It's that simple. Your final consisting of the winner of the Federer match, and whoever got the blessing to publicly humiliate Andy Murray. It's that simple. So, you know your going to get a final consisting of 2 of 3 people. Rafal Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer. All of which make great matches, but still nonetheless repetitive from one final to the next. I must say, that this is an improvement from the days when it was just Federer, and no challenger at all. At least now there's 3 instead of 1 contender like it used to be. But I can basically assure you, that the winner of the US Open will be Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, or Rafael Nadal. I can guarantee you that.
As far as the Women are concerned, I have no idea what in heaven's name is going to happen. Will Kim Clijsters repeat as US Open Champ? Will Serena Williams steal the crown back from her? Will Maria Sharapova come out of her slump and will another grand slam? Will Li Na have one final hurrah? Will Caroline Wozniaki break through? Will Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva, or Andrea Petkovic take the title? Or will somebody else entirely win it like Petra Kvitova won Wimbledon this year? Will a complete stranger like Sabine Lisicki come out of nowhere and reach a semi-final or win the whole title as a Wild Card? Any of the above or more are possible on the Women's side, which makes it a very interesting and compelling tournament, because it could go any number of directions.
So, I've just made it sound like the Women's side is better to watch because it's less predictable, more unstable, and more dramatic because you have no idea what will happen. But there is a drawback in the Women's game that the Men's game doesn't have. That would be star power. While the Men lack unpredictability and drama from that standpoint, they do have definitive stars. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are all stars, and even Andy Murray has become a lovable loser and star in his own right. People know who they are going to watch, and they love it. The fans love having stars to watch, and knowing that in the finals they are going to see two recognizable stars, who are superstars in the sporting world. That's a benefit. Not only for the fans, but also for the value of the sport from a monetary perspective. Stars sell tickets, and make money for the sport. Ticket prices for a Novak Djokovic/Rafa Nadal final or a Rafa Nadal/Roger Federer Final will sell better than a Juan Martin-Del Potro/Robin Soderling Final. Especially in the US, where stars are wanted. This really makes Men's Tennis better on the Final Weekend from a certain view. The Finals are often more exciting because they have bigger names. Women's tennis may have more surprises, but as of late they've had less stars.
Women's tennis can still get stars tho. They also have more options to go with. A Sharapova/Clijsters final would be nice. An All Williams Final would be great too. A Williams/Sharapova match would work. As would any final involving the number one ranked Caroline Wozniaki. The Women have more options in the star department, which helps, but the problem is, they aren't certain if they will get those stars or not. Li Na and Francesca Schiavone are nice players and all, but they're not really STARS. Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic are both really good as well, but they are less recognizable. The Women have more potential star matchups in the final for the US Open, but also a lot higher chance of seeing a final that lacks star power. That's a concern for Women's tennis. Nobody wants to be the front runner, favorite, or target. Everybody is sort of on the same level, all equally likely to win, but none really standing out.
The Men have 3 guys who are the front runners who all have massive targets on their backs. This makes things exciting when they get beaten, and when they face each other. They've embraced this role, and they all live up to the pressures that follow for having that target on their backs. The rest of the Men are fighting for a Semi-Final appearance. Even that seems to be locked in as belonging to Andy Murray. The Men are too predictable and the Women are too unpredictable. I can't think of a time when it's been more polarizing than it is now.
So at the end of the day, which is better? I personally lean towards the Women's side, since I like watching competition that I don't know the outcome of. For me, it makes it more interesting to genuinely not know what will happen. The NBA and MLB have been too predictable over the years, and I like the fact that Women's tennis is so unpredictable, much like the NFL. However, I think both sides could become more like the other. The Men could have a few more challengers, and the Women could have a few more heavy weights. Perhaps some of these top ranked Women could be more consistent, and perhaps some of these higher ranked Men like Soderling and Murray and Monfils could give Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic more of a run for their money. But until that happens, or if that happens. We have to live with what the US Open will give us this year. Things won't change overnight. So, until something changes, lets enjoy both the US Open Men and US Open Women for the benefits that they bring and now that no matter what happens, we are in for some incredible tennis!
There is no real favorite on the Women's side, while on the Men's side, Novak Djokovic is heavily favored to take the US Open crown back to Serbia. This polarizing effect of Men's tennis being limited to three contenders and Women's tennis being limited to nobody (even Wild Cards seem to have a shot now) makes watching both sides of the Men and Women very different experiences.
The Men seem to be following the same trend. Federer has an intense fight with either Nadal or Djokovic in one semi-final, and Andy Murray is on cruise control until he gets mauled in the other Semi-Final match by Nadal or Djokovic. It's that simple. Your final consisting of the winner of the Federer match, and whoever got the blessing to publicly humiliate Andy Murray. It's that simple. So, you know your going to get a final consisting of 2 of 3 people. Rafal Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer. All of which make great matches, but still nonetheless repetitive from one final to the next. I must say, that this is an improvement from the days when it was just Federer, and no challenger at all. At least now there's 3 instead of 1 contender like it used to be. But I can basically assure you, that the winner of the US Open will be Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, or Rafael Nadal. I can guarantee you that.
As far as the Women are concerned, I have no idea what in heaven's name is going to happen. Will Kim Clijsters repeat as US Open Champ? Will Serena Williams steal the crown back from her? Will Maria Sharapova come out of her slump and will another grand slam? Will Li Na have one final hurrah? Will Caroline Wozniaki break through? Will Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zvonareva, or Andrea Petkovic take the title? Or will somebody else entirely win it like Petra Kvitova won Wimbledon this year? Will a complete stranger like Sabine Lisicki come out of nowhere and reach a semi-final or win the whole title as a Wild Card? Any of the above or more are possible on the Women's side, which makes it a very interesting and compelling tournament, because it could go any number of directions.
So, I've just made it sound like the Women's side is better to watch because it's less predictable, more unstable, and more dramatic because you have no idea what will happen. But there is a drawback in the Women's game that the Men's game doesn't have. That would be star power. While the Men lack unpredictability and drama from that standpoint, they do have definitive stars. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are all stars, and even Andy Murray has become a lovable loser and star in his own right. People know who they are going to watch, and they love it. The fans love having stars to watch, and knowing that in the finals they are going to see two recognizable stars, who are superstars in the sporting world. That's a benefit. Not only for the fans, but also for the value of the sport from a monetary perspective. Stars sell tickets, and make money for the sport. Ticket prices for a Novak Djokovic/Rafa Nadal final or a Rafa Nadal/Roger Federer Final will sell better than a Juan Martin-Del Potro/Robin Soderling Final. Especially in the US, where stars are wanted. This really makes Men's Tennis better on the Final Weekend from a certain view. The Finals are often more exciting because they have bigger names. Women's tennis may have more surprises, but as of late they've had less stars.
Women's tennis can still get stars tho. They also have more options to go with. A Sharapova/Clijsters final would be nice. An All Williams Final would be great too. A Williams/Sharapova match would work. As would any final involving the number one ranked Caroline Wozniaki. The Women have more options in the star department, which helps, but the problem is, they aren't certain if they will get those stars or not. Li Na and Francesca Schiavone are nice players and all, but they're not really STARS. Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic are both really good as well, but they are less recognizable. The Women have more potential star matchups in the final for the US Open, but also a lot higher chance of seeing a final that lacks star power. That's a concern for Women's tennis. Nobody wants to be the front runner, favorite, or target. Everybody is sort of on the same level, all equally likely to win, but none really standing out.
The Men have 3 guys who are the front runners who all have massive targets on their backs. This makes things exciting when they get beaten, and when they face each other. They've embraced this role, and they all live up to the pressures that follow for having that target on their backs. The rest of the Men are fighting for a Semi-Final appearance. Even that seems to be locked in as belonging to Andy Murray. The Men are too predictable and the Women are too unpredictable. I can't think of a time when it's been more polarizing than it is now.
So at the end of the day, which is better? I personally lean towards the Women's side, since I like watching competition that I don't know the outcome of. For me, it makes it more interesting to genuinely not know what will happen. The NBA and MLB have been too predictable over the years, and I like the fact that Women's tennis is so unpredictable, much like the NFL. However, I think both sides could become more like the other. The Men could have a few more challengers, and the Women could have a few more heavy weights. Perhaps some of these top ranked Women could be more consistent, and perhaps some of these higher ranked Men like Soderling and Murray and Monfils could give Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic more of a run for their money. But until that happens, or if that happens. We have to live with what the US Open will give us this year. Things won't change overnight. So, until something changes, lets enjoy both the US Open Men and US Open Women for the benefits that they bring and now that no matter what happens, we are in for some incredible tennis!
posted by Ben Parker at 8:47 PM
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