The prince is breathing down his neck – VG

Dominic Thiem, 27, will be the next king on the gravel, but he’s breathing down the neck of an increasingly vigorous “youth uprising” in international men’s tennis. And now Casper Ruud waits in Paris.

Most have been about Federer (39), Nadal (34) and Djokovic (33) for an eternity.

Now the former is out with a long-lasting knee injury, while the veteran Spanish and Serbian rival is ranked No. 1 and 2 on the gravel at Roland Garros.

But while the favorites are also well known this year, it is fascinating to see what is happening in a new and increasingly exciting generation.

However, somewhere in the middle in terms of age is the winner of a more recent Grand Slam. But even though he finally made it on the hard court in New York, it’s really on gravel where Dominic Thiem really has his dominance. His only problem so far has been that Rafael Nadal has been completely inhuman on deck, which is why he has become almost too much. But at the same time that the table is set because veteran careers don’t last forever, it’s interesting to see that even the much younger players are moving forward.

Therefore, it is very important for Thiem to create his own heyday, and now one of the most prominent players, the Norwegian Casper Ruud, stands between the dream of Austria and France. And in the couple of challenges in the coming years, there are many young people.

When Casper Ruud (21) recently reached the semi-finals in Hamburg, all the other semi-finalists (Andrej Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cristian Garin) were also in their early 20s. And these are just a few of the young players who are doing more and more in terms of results and ranking lists.

Also in the bottom half of the list is one of the most exciting young players on the tour, Germany’s Alexander “Sascha” Zverev. The 23-year-old came close to claiming the first Grand Slam title of his career at the US Open recently, and the world No. 7 is one level higher in few matches. He also has an Australian semi-final in his bag, and at Roland Garros he has reached the quarter-finals the last two seasons.

In the square above is another of those who is expected to become one of the greats of the young generation. Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece is only 22 years old, and he charged Paris to reach the final in Hamburg, where he suffered the same fate against Rublev as Ruud in the previous round. The man with long hair and a ditto body also has an x-factor and PR value that tennis will need when today’s jerks give up.

Within the top ten, however, we have even more youth.

Italy’s service cannon Matteo Berrettini (24) is a name Casper Ruud has an ambivalent relationship with, after being swept off the field at the U.S. Open this year, in sets as straight as the one he won at the Open. from France last year. Keywords of the fissure: substrate.

Among many good Russian stars, Daniil Medvedev (24) occupies the highest position in fifth place, while the aforementioned triumphants from Hamburg, Andrej Rublev and Karen Khachanov (24), have faced Casper Ruud recently. Also Canadian Denis Shapovalov (21) and French Felix Auger-Aliassime (20) should be mentioned in the pair of promising tennis stars.

So how will Ruud fare in this field in the years to come? It is difficult to know, but if the progression continues, and also manages to develop the reverse a little more, the top ten is not unrealistic with time and moments.

And if we talk about the favorite surface gravel, then it is not that far from being in the top ten. And then what in the short term? Against Thiem it will take a lot, but not even that match is lost beforehand …

P.S. You can watch the game on Eurosport Norway and Dplay today from 11am.