Old faces are still a force to be reckoned with in tennis
It’s 2018, but there is still no changing of the guard in the world of tennis. Familiar names still dominate the sport this year.
Roger Federer might be 36 years old, but he certainly doesn’t play like it. Federer is enjoying a resurgence in his career. He just equalled the best streak of his career this 2018, which he last achieved in 2006 with a 16-game winning streak.
According to the latest ATP men’s tennis rankings, Federer is still back at number one with 8,670 points as of May 14, followed by Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov. Meanwhile, Austria’s Dominic Thiem dropped one spot and landed in eighth place, with South Africa’s Kevin Anderson taking over Thiem’s previous rank.
On the women’s side, Simona Halep reigns supreme with 7,270 points, followed by Caroline Wozniacki, Garbiñe Muguruza, and Elina Svitolina. This is in stark contrast to men’s tennis as the top four are all not yet in their 30s. That being said, the old favourites are hot on their heels; there is Venus Williams, at 37 years old, holding the ninth spot, and Maria Sharapova is looking to make a comeback in 40th place.
Notably absent is the queen of the court herself, Serena Williams, who took some time off from playing to start a family. She recently returned to WTA at the Indian Wells tournament, but the long break took its toll when her sister Venus defeated her on March 13.
The youngsters
The old champions can’t rest on their laurels just yet as there is always new talent nipping at their heels. To topple their idols, these new players need a combination of two things: health and consistency.
On the men’s side, there is Grigor Dimitrov, currently at the fourth place in the world rankings, but he climbed to as high as third last year. The 26-year-old managed to tweak an important part of his game that was erratic before — he vastly improved his second-serve return.
The Bulgarian has been compared to Roger Federer in the past because of his complete game, but he clearly needs to do more. The potential is already there, and the opportunity is ripe for the picking as Murray and Djokovic are both struggling to find form at the moment.
In the women’s division, the race is a bit more open, and the youngsters are making waves. There is Garbiñe Muguruza, who is only 24 years old but already third in the world rankings. She embraces the challenge and declares she is ready for it.
“That pressure everywhere you go, that responsibility, I think it’s good to have it. It’s worse if you are there and nobody expects you to win,” she told Independent in October.
Changing of the guards
Will the changing of the guards finally happen this year? There is a golden opportunity for the youngsters to finally make their mark this year. This makes tennis more fun and exciting to follow.
Thanks to new technology, fans can now support their players aside from watching the games live or enhance their viewing experience via live stream. They can now follow if Federer will still rule the division or if Serena will make a successful comeback this year via daily fantasy sports.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) is different from regular fantasy sports. DFS can be a per-game basis, and anyone can join, even those who are not familiar with fantasy sports.
Users will only select which contest they are going to play in and pick their favourite player based on a certain budget a.k.a. salary cap. They can choose head to head and earn as much as triple their entry fee. There is a prize pool for every contest, so the winnings are guaranteed.
Global Daily Fantasy Sports, Inc. (TSX-V: DFS) offers something new for tennis fans, and investors and gaming businesses can take advantage of that. GDFSI has developed a B2B software solution that enables gaming operators to offer daily fantasy sports to their customers, with prize pools worth millions of dollars.
Using the company’s mature infrastructure, built for regulated environments worldwide, gaming businesses can expect impressive profits. The same can be expected for investors who can grab this chance to buy GDFSI’s stock at its current low price.
Global Daily Fantasy Sports’ growth prospect is huge. It has sealed strategic deals, which allow it to have access to a wide network of gaming sites and customers. Its exclusive agreement with NYX Gaming Group Limited connects it with 140 gaming sites and 220 sportsbook sites. Meanwhile, entering the Italian market, it has secured clients such as Lottomatica with 16 million gamblers, Sisal with 14 million users, and Microgame with 120 brands.
Who can defeat Roger Federer? Can anyone derail his bid to reach the number one once again? Fans will surely follow the games live or use daily fantasy sports to experience the game on a whole new level. As a gaming business or an investor, this is a perfect time to cash in on this trend.
Article is from press release sent for consideration.
