Tennis health check, 2021: Which stars are waning, who is on the rise and what is the...

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Which stars are waning? The old certainties are not what they used to be. It is three years since Roger Federer’s most recent grand-slam triumph at the 2018 Australian Open, and four years since Serena Williams struck silverware at the same event. These two giants would probably still win most polls to determine the greatest male and female in tennis history. And yet, Federer is struggling to be fit in time for February’s delayed Australian Open, more than a year after his last appearance. Williams’s fitness has held up better: she has reported for duty in every slam since she returned from maternity leave. But her reliable presence has only underlined the fact that her aura – which used to be enough to beat many opponents on its own – has evaporated. As we look forward to 2021, then, it would be a surprise if either Federer or Williams managed to land another biggie. For the last time that was true, you would probably have to go back to the 20th century. Federer and Williams were born seven weeks apart in 1981. So the surprising thing is not that they are in decline, but that they have remained contenders at the top of the game for so long. Which stars are rising?

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