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When the last few balls are in the basket at the last tournament of the year and the players are on their way to too short a vacation, it’s usually time to look back and look forward. What it was?
A season in tough conditions with longer breaks, games without spectators, a tournament schedule without Wimbledon. The usual suspects among big winners like Novak Djokovic, who wins his eighth Melbourne title early on when everything seems normal; with Dominic Thiem, who won his first Grand Slam tournament in New York in September, and Rafael Nadal, who took the 20th a little later in Paris.
Djokovic can only be surprised
When the top two in the world rankings left the O2Arena in East London on Saturday, one in the early afternoon and the other around midnight, they had serious losses in their luggage. Now, it’s not that Novak Djokovic didn’t already know what he had to offer before the twelfth meeting with Dominic Thiem, but at some stages he was just in awe. The way the Austrian worked his way to victory after four match points awarded at the end of the second set and a 4-0 deficit in the third set tie-break was powerful and impressive. This ending was unreal, Djokovic said afterwards, he didn’t really play bad, but the other hit him and it all worked out. Nothing to do.
Despite all the difficulties: Spaniard Rafael Nadal is already looking to the future again.
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Image: EPA
A few hours later, Nadal got away after losing in three eventful sets to Daniil Medvedev. With a score of 5: 4 in the second set, he had served the victory, but with a collection of mistakes he had given this crucial game out of control. Even after that, he seemed too confused at times to stop the Russian focused, determined, and solid. Little things sometimes make a big difference, Nadal said later. “He did well and I didn’t do well enough.” The fact is, the title will be the only one missing from his gloriously complete collection at the ATP Finals for now. This year Medvedev did it, who defeated Thiem 4: 6, 7: 6 (7: 2), 6: 4 in the final. Nadal’s next attempt next year, after changing the scene in Turin? Very possible.
Looking into the near future is more difficult right now. Last week, players learned that they are not allowed to enter Australia before January 1 and then must go to the mandatory two-week quarantine, that is, immediately before the start of the Australian Open; they originally assumed they would fly to Australia in mid-December. Tournament Director Craig Tiley came forward Sunday with a statement reiterating the organizers’ intention to provide players with the best preparation opportunities in a safe environment and that he is working closely with the state government. of Victoria to achieve it.
“It’s not just about us”
This means, on the one hand, that the actors’ holidays and the subsequent preparation time will be longer than expected, but on the other hand, not much can be planned yet. But with that, Nadal thinks, you just have to live with it. “It is difficult for everyone. We have to be flexible and understand the situation so that we can play as many tournaments as possible. In this way we can help these tournaments, including players who are not so good in the rankings, to keep their jobs, and all employees who make a living from our sport. It’s not just about us. “
Departing after a turbulent season: A year full of complex events ended for Alexander Zverev in London.
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Image: Reuters
When the Spaniard spoke the wise words, Alexander Zverev had already left London. After the loss to Novak Djokovic the day before, looking back at 2020, he realized that it was a great year in which he sadly lost great matches. “The Australian Open semi-finals, which I could have won, and the US Open final, which I should have won. But there is a lot I can build on. “
When you say that you have experienced more than in a normal year and that you could actually make a movie out of that, then of course events outside the often empty tennis stadiums also belong to you. When asked if he would do anything to refute the massive accusations made by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharipova, he said: “I have said all I can say about it. It is very unfortunate that these false accusations can ruin so much and obscure the attention paid to the sport. “
How are things going to go now after the complicated year 2019 with all kinds of problems and the even more complicated year 2020 with a mixture of complex events? We will see. If you could wish three things in 2021, what would they be? Without thinking for a second, Alexander Zverev responds: “Three Grand Slam victories.” Nothing else? “May my son be born healthy.” That’s not a small wish list for a 23-year-old.
