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In the final of the ATP Finals at the weekend, an image emerged that will be increasingly common in the future. With Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev, two players of the younger generation fought for the title.
The “big three”, however, were behind the scenes. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had to admit defeat in the semi-finals, Roger Federer has not played a tournament for months due to injury.
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It has not happened for the first time that none of the rulers of the past 15 years fighting for the title in a major tennis tournament. None of the superstars were represented at the US Open in New York, instead Thiem and Alexander Zverev fought for the Grand Slam title, with the best finish for the Austrian.
More and more fans and experts are under the impression that the long-heralded generational change is taking place in tennis. But is it really that moment?
Djokovic leads the world ranking
Looking at the world rankings, the answer seems very clear. With more than 12,000 points, Djokovic is in first place. Nadal, who is in second place, is already clearly behind with 9,850 points. Thiem and Medvedev remain in third and fourth place; Federer is still fifth after his long break.
So it still seems that the top positions are dominated by the old guard, but things are changing and we have to differentiate accurately.
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Federer is more likely to end his career. The Swiss will turn 40 next year, an incredible age for a tennis professional.
Federer is struggling with a knee injury
After a long knee injury, he has not played a game since the beginning of the year. The teacher wants to return in 2021, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to build on his past achievements. With his experience and class, he will continue to fight for victories in tournaments, but it remains questionable whether he can still play for the title in the Grand Slams.
With the victory at the French Open, Nadal has already achieved in terms of the number of Grand Slam victories. He threatens to lose his record soon. However, when it comes to the total number of tournament wins, Federer isn’t fooling anyone.
Only one win remains in the 39-year-old’s impressive collection of titles: individual gold at the Olympics. A dream that could be fulfilled in Tokyo in 2021.
Nadal may break Grand Slam record
Like Federer, Nadal has to fight with physical problems, and not too close. From foot to knee to back, it hurts a lot with the Spanish. And yet the 34-year-old’s career still seems to have a lot in store.
With the same number of Grand Slam wins as Federer, the Spaniard could soon be crowned the sole record holder, which is likely to be in his living room at the French Open next year.
He is also pursuing a special title. In his glorious career he has never won the ATP Finals, and this year also failed shortly before the goal.
Djokovic will be Olympia-Gold
Djokovic feels the same. Like Federer, he still hopes for an Olympic gold medal and has significantly fewer Grand Slam victories than his two longtime rivals. At 33, the Serbian is the least the youngest of the three, but it should not be as easy with big titles.
And that is not only due to age-related ailments, but above all to the development of the younger generation.
A year or two ago, players like Medvedev, Thiem, Zverev or Tsitsipas were already world class, but not yet mature enough. Meanwhile, Medvedev and Thiem in particular have taken a great leap, defeating the Big Three with increasing frequency and are able to withstand the opponent even in pressure situations.
Thiem and Medvedev strong
This has become increasingly clear, especially on hard courts. The Wimbledon tournament, which is mainly dominated by Djokovic, and the French Open, almost always won by Nadal, are likely to remain the areas of the established, at least for the near future. At the Australian and US Open, however, the stamina from the youngsters is already immense.
Who can be crowned the winner in Melbourne and New York also depends on the draw and the number of sets played so far.
This is precisely why Djokovic and Nadal in particular still have several chances for a Grand Slam title, but the exclusive dominance of three players should disappear in the next two years.
