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Wimbledon is underway and Inspector Pumphead has some thoughts on this grand tennis tournament.

Probably the most well-known and prestigious of all the Major tennis tournaments, Wimbledon takes place every summer in London. This event is famous for its fast grass courts, all-white dress code and the consistent attendance of prominent celebrities, including members of the Royal Family. Both the men’s and women’s finals are some of typically the highest rated tennis broadcasts all year, despite the time difference between the UK and the US.

This year will continue the recurrent themes for both the men’s and women’s draw. On the women’s side, the absence of Serena Williams widens the potential field considerably. In the men’s draw, the veteran’s crew continues to hold sway, as the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are favorites to fend off the younger crew.

It should be an interesting draw. Let’s dive into some of these factors in the preview.

Golden Oldies

Tennis has long been known as a young man’s (or woman’s) game, it was much more common to see a 17-year old wunderkind win a major tournament than a player over 29. Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, perhaps the two biggest icons of the 70s/80s tennis boom, both won their last Major tournaments at 25 years old and that was not a particularly unusual fact.

But now, many of the top players in the world are dominant well into their 30s. In fact, the entire top five is part of the thirty-something crowd:
–Andy Murray, 30

–Rafael Nadal, 31

–Stan Wawrinka, 32

–Roger Federer, 35

–Novak Djokovic, 30

It’s pretty remarkable and the first time in the history of tennis rankings that this has happened. There could be a variety of explanations as to why older players are surviving. This Wall Street Journal story digs into some of the factors. Perhaps the most pertinent explanation includes the advances in sports nutrition, awareness of injury prevention methods and the recuperative techniques. These are valuable tools that help older players maintain their edge.  With elite older players combining their knowledge and experience with a retained athleticism, it is more difficult than ever for younger players to break through the ranks.

It will be fascinating to see if young guns such as Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios can dethrone their idols.

Questions in the Women’s Draw

When the dominant Serena Williams is not playing, the field is considered wide open. World no. 1 Angelique Kerber would ostensibly be the favorite but she has been struggling as of lately and will probably lose her top ranking. Simona Help and Karolina Pliskova are in play as are crowd favorites Caroline Wozniacki and Coco Vandeweghe.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that there aren’t as many big names in the women’s draw, it could be even more interesting than the men’s side.

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