Edited: No player currently 30 or younger has won a major

Who will be the next 20-something to win a major title?

  • Dominic Thiem

    Votes: 4 57.1%
  • Daniil Medvedev

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • Alexander Zverev

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Stefanos Tsitsipas

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • Total voters
    7
  • Poll closed .

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Aug 5, 2012
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Domination or something else? I have serious concerns how players in their mid 30s, are still able to be as phyiscally dynamic as they are without external help.

I think it's more because sports science has gotten a lot better, health is a lot better, fitness is a lot better.. players are just playing a lot better than what they used to and for longer.
 
Domination or something else? I have serious concerns how players in their mid 30s, are still able to be as phyiscally dynamic as they are without external help.
They have the money to access the best sports science and doctors to have a healthy body. I'm also surprised they can still maintain that top level for so long.
 

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mouncey2franklin

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Jun 16, 2018
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All about the Slams. Let's see how they cycle up for the Aus Open.
Is it fair to say that the way EFC was treated has changed your view of pro sports in general?

Must be tough to see people who talk s**t about EFC putting their heads in the sand about guys like Federer and Nadal.

It is like a form of hypocrisy, really.
 
Is it fair to say that the way EFC was treated has changed your view of pro sports in general?

Must be tough to see people who talk s**t about EFC putting their heads in the sand about guys like Federer and Nadal.

It is like a form of hypocrisy, really.

Yes, although I'm not entirely cynical across the board, I certainly think it's likely that any professional sport has PED use to some degree of another. The degree of use will be magnified by money and the transparency/layers of the governing bodies involved. Tennis is basically a perfect storm for use - an individual sport, with lots of money available, and an opaque and single governing body who has very ineffective procedures for testing.

At some point it'll all come crashing down, and unlike with cycling which has a public perception worlds away from the 'mainstream', a sport like tennis getting shown to be rife with PED use would have ramifications for all other popular, mainstream sports.

It's the lack of questioning that gets me. People don't even stop for a second to think whether someone in their mid 30s should be winning Grand Slams, and if they do they'll push for any explanation other than the obvious.
 

Flameboy

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Yes, although I'm not entirely cynical across the board, I certainly think it's likely that any professional sport has PED use to some degree of another. The degree of use will be magnified by money and the transparency/layers of the governing bodies involved. Tennis is basically a perfect storm for use - an individual sport, with lots of money available, and an opaque and single governing body who has very ineffective procedures for testing.

At some point it'll all come crashing down, and unlike with cycling which has a public perception worlds away from the 'mainstream', a sport like tennis getting shown to be rife with PED use would have ramifications for all other popular, mainstream sports.

It's the lack of questioning that gets me. People don't even stop for a second to think whether someone in their mid 30s should be winning Grand Slams, and if they do they'll push for any explanation other than the obvious.
I'm interested to know what your thoughts are on other high performing athletes in their 30's. Messi, Ronaldo, LeBron, G.Ablett et al.
 

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I'm interested to know what your thoughts are on other high performing athletes in their 30's. Messi, Ronaldo, LeBron, G.Ablett et al.

Ablett doesn't really fit the bill there, he peaked in his mid-to-late 20s, which is pretty normal, and has had a series of injuries and quieter performances since hitting his 30s. Not that it's impossible, just that it's not where we would look first for evidence.

American sports are rife with it (and don't really care, baseball's steroids scandal didn't matter in the long run because it's still more popular now than it was prior to the Barry Bonds era), and as for soccer, we know that La Liga was implicated in Operacion Puerto.
 

Flameboy

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How many soccer players in the top leagues have been found guilty of doping? The sport with the most money generated annually don't care about peds.
I'm not sure. But given your assertion I'm guessing you believe the sport is rife with it?

Ablett doesn't really fit the bill there, he peaked in his mid-to-late 20s, which is pretty normal, and has had a series of injuries and quieter performances since hitting his 30s. Not that it's impossible, just that it's not where we would look first for evidence.

American sports are rife with it (and don't really care, baseball's steroids scandal didn't matter in the long run because it's still more popular now than it was prior to the Barry Bonds era), and as for soccer, we know that La Liga was implicated in Operacion Puerto.
Hmm he's still performed at a very high level, particularly this year when he was in AA calculations midway through.

Don't follow American sports other than the NBA where, again, quite a few of the top players are 30+ (namely LeBron as I mentioned before).

From what I can gather you believe it's everywhere. Cycling, Swimming & Athletics are a given but you're also throwing Tennis, Soccer, Baseball, the NBA & NFL into it as well. My follow up question to that would be - do you place any value on sporting achievements? Ronaldo is about to become just the second player to pass 100 International goals, Messi potentially another Ballon d'Or, LeBron having another crazily good season/potential ring - are these things that should be given any credit, or must we simply dismiss abnormalities? These guys actually aren't that good?
 
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Without reading any of this thread, it's hard to compete with arguably the two greatest men's players we've seen (federer & Nadal) and a guy or two who would be just as dominant in any other era (Djokovic &/or Murray).

This new guard just hasn't taken that quantum leap yet. The prospect looks good, including some Aussies. It's going to be a hell of a ride to see if these middle/older guys can snatch a Slam or two post Nadal/Federer/Djoker/Murray era. Once this new era takes over, we could very well see a similar domination with Di Minaur, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Thiem all right in the running.
 

pepsi

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Feb 4, 2008
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Sorry yoda, please don't lump djokovic with Murray. It is Federer, Nadal and djokovic who are 3 of the all time greats.

Murray has been great, but with 3 slams, has not prevented up and comers from winning slams.
 
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