Is the next tennis superstar already on the horizon?
Posted by tennisplanet on July 30, 2007
When Sampras won his last title in 2002, Federer was already there on the tour. And when Borg retired in 1981, within just seven years, Sampras turned pro. In each of those eras, records were set which seemed almost impossible to break. Or records that will, at least, stand for some time to come. No one expected, at least, records like five straight Wimbledon titles or 14 Grand Slams to be shattered so quickly.
Hank Aron’s 755 home run record was considered untouchable. Not only will Bonds break that, Alex Rodriguez is already on the horizon to better whatever Bonds does now.
Then, Jack Nickolaus’s record of 18 majors in golf is up on the chopping block already.
Is that old adage standing its ground ‘All records are meant to be broken’?
Is the the next superstar already amongst us or is he yet to be born. Or is he on the tour already, and has not unlocked the door yet like Federer?
Going by what history provides us as precedent, it is virtually impossible to predict. Borg, Sampras or Federer – neither of them made any major noise right after they got on the tour. But once they got going, it was just business as usual. Borg may have had the most signs of early stardom than any of the other two. Nadal seems to be mirroring that trend.
But it appears that there seems to be one match, that has proven to be a turning point for both Sampras and Federer. So it was more mental and psychological than a sudden burst of physical talent.
Is that player already banging away on the tour or is he still at the ‘garage door’ stage. Based on the trend, it is difficult to imagine that this special player is not born yet.
Can you freaking imagine what this guy has to produce, to break the records already in place after Federer is done with his freaking display?
Maybe the technology influx and ‘level the playing field’ drama with the Grand Slam surfaces, will play some role in the years to come. Nevertheless, it will require some special ‘kahunas’ to win eight some Wimbledons and over 16 Grand Slams.
Is someone about to burst on the scene, or has that already happened?
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Tennis Planet 
Brooke said
Hmm interesting question. I think that The Next Federer is already on tour. Djokovic, perhaps (But that might just be wishful thinking)? Well, whoever it is, you can bet that they’re gonna have some mighty big shoes to fill.
Jenny said
You know this is an almost impossible prediction. I did spot the star quality in Federer all those years ago, thought I was seeing a mirage because from 2001-2003 he really didn’t do too much. I must confess, I haven’t been too excited since the blossoming of the Swiss Meister. To be fair, all the young guns and some of the established players do display moments of brilliance, but it’s all so inconsistent isn’t it, apart from Nadal on the clay of course. I had thought Berdych would have broken through by now. Okay, I’ll put my head on the block, but with reservations – Richard Gasquet. Another question, has the next all round superstar been born or even conceived?!! Interesting, Federer was born the year Borg retired!
Gracie said
Yes Jenny, I also saw that thing in Federer early on. But I’d also seen flashes of brilliance in the early years of other players, and wondered in 2002-03 if Federer was just going to be another one of those who didn’t fully tap into the talent that we saw. It’s an impossible prediction because any good player can have a little bit of a brilliant run, but it’s the consistency – those intangibles that drive a person to win again and again – that can’t really be gauged early on.
I do think Gasquet and Djokovic are going to start to show their stuff in the next years. Gasquet’s got a great game. And we know Djokovic wants it. If they can translate that desire into the right mindset, I think these two could have fine careers. (But alas, I said this once about Safin too…)
Eva Kovacs said
Re: Next Tennis Superstar: All I know is that it won’t be Djokovic, nor Nadal. Nadal will be acknowledged as an outstanding players, but I don’t see him having the same kinmd of run and dominance as Federer. I just don’t think he has that in him. What he is is very macho, and that is a lot of his driving force. Djokovic’s game has not developed enough, and I thiink it won’t beyond a certain point. He will win tournaments, but I think he will be up and down. As for Gasquet, I think he is more naturally talented than te two players I mentioned. and he too will win, But I ajm not certain whether he has the mental toughness to be a constant dominant force. Re the Serbs and Croats, they are driven quite a bit by nationalism, which is a bad thing, except they might be too imbued with that because of the enmity between them. As for Tipsarevic, anybody who has to tattoo on his arm a quote from (Dostoevsky?) that beauty will save the world, is quite determined to display himself and call attention to himself. It is a bit fopp[ish, I think. I love literature and poetry, but they are innner matters to me.
Someone will come along, but we will just have to see. It is not that often that somebody as great as a Laver, a Borg, Becker, McEnroe, Connors, Sampras come along. And of these, I admire the most Laver, Becker, Borg, and Federer especially, because I have never seen anyone raise the game so much with his style and precision and power.