Djokovic names new Big Three… and defeats him: “Why stop if I still win?”

The world of tennis seems determined to find a rivalry to fill the void that Roger Federer began to leave and that, inevitably, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal will end up leaving. Is not easy. It seems impossible, in fact. This Sunday, however, after winning his seventh title at the ATP Finals, Nole did not hesitate to affirm that Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune are “the next big three.” “They are going to take this sport,” he added. He said it convinced, but he also marked territory on the track. In his debut, the Serbian defeated the Dane. In the semifinals, he was able to beat the Spaniard. In the final, after having lost against him in the group stage, he overwhelmed the Italian.

The change of era, although it has threatened to arrive on several occasions, continues to be delayed. The new batch, which seems stronger than the previous one (Medvedev, Zverev or Tsitsipas), pushes, but Nole remains firm. The Serbian, at 36 years old, has been able to win seven titles (the most). Among them, four of the five most important (Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open and ATP Finals). Alcaraz, with his victory at Wimbledon, has been the only one who has been able to avoid the plenary session of Novak, who also reached the final in London. In addition, with the opportunity to go up to a dangerous 0-2 in the fifth set. Charly saved the break ball and, with it, put the only obstacle in the way of a majestic Djokovic, who looks with even more ambition towards 2024. “The motivation, especially for the most important tournaments, is still present,” he said at the press conference in Turin. He feels young.

In Italy, he favored the face-to-face matches against all the members of the Big Three that he himself named. Against Sinner, he had the job done: he arrived with three victories and closed losses against the transalpine and left with a favorable 4-1. Against Alcaraz and Rune, however, he unbalanced the balance. Until the Finals, the Serbian had faced both the Spanish and the Dane four times, with a 2-2 score in both cases. It’s already two 3-2. In his debut, the Serbian defeated Rune in three sets, who had beaten him in the final of the 2022 Paris Masters 1,000 and in the Rome quarterfinals this year.; In the semifinals, Nole dispatched a brave Alcaraz, who could have changed the direction of the match in the first games, but who ended up winning only five games.

“Let them feel the pressure”

“What he is doing is incredible. Breaking records, winning every tournament he goes to. “It’s crazy,” Alcaraz dedicated to Djokovic after suffering his third defeat against the Serbian. The other two were in the semifinals of Roland Garros and in the final of Cincinnati this year. The Spaniard’s victories, on the other hand, came in the semifinals of the Masters 1,000 in Madrid 2022 and at Wimbledon. “Alcaraz has shown that he is the best in the world”said Nole about Alcaraz on the grass of the All England Clubin the last hint of a change of era. Djokoic, however, remains strong to defend his reign: “When they play against me (Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune), I want them to feel that pressure. As long as I can win against them on the big stages, I’ll keep going. Why stop if I am still winning the most important titles? ”He asked in Turin. He had already responded about the clue.

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