The ATP recently formalized the decision to unfreeze the world rankings at the end of the Cincinnati tournament, subsequently won by Alexander Zverev. It was the German who immediately benefited from the idea, reaching number 4 in the world rankings, overtaking Rafael Nadal.
Could this be the end of an era? Could this be the start of a dark era for the many fans of the Spaniard and Roger Federer? The two men, in fact, have not left the top 4 of the world ranking since March 20, 2017, when Andy Murray was still at the top of the ranking, followed by Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori.
In fact, the last one left of this particular ranking, which saw Federer and Nadal in sixth and seventh place respectively, is Nole Djokovic. The Serb is still not satisfied and has no intention of relinquishing the top spot he currently occupies, despite increasing pressure from young recruits pursuing him.
On the eve of the US Open, still orphaned by the “Fedal”, with the two rival friends who have already announced the end of their 2021 tennis season due to physical problems, the Serbian is chased by Daniil Medvedv, second, Stefanos Tsitsipas, third and, precisely, Alexander Zverev, in fourth position.
Looking at the world rankings of March 20, 2017 is even more impressive for Italians. At the time, there were only 3 blues in the top-100: Paolo Lorenzi, 37th in the world, Fabio Fognini, 40th and Andreas Seppi in 80th position.
In a short time, Italian tennis has managed to bring to Olympus an ever greater number of athletes who, especially in 2021, never cease to amaze. Today to represent the Bel Paese we find young people with great expectations, but who have already taken advantage of the decline of the big 3 Federer-Nadal-Djokovic.
Corretja on the withdrawal of Nadal
According to tennis analyst Alex Corretja, Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from this year’s big events may be a sign that his injury is more serious than one might have expected.
The double finalist of Roland-Garros said he was “concerned” about the future of the Spaniard. “Since he retired from Toronto and Cincinnati, we have been wondering if he is going to be ready for the US Open,” Corretja told Eurosport.
“But if he’s not 100% and able to play in good health, it’s normal for him to take a little time to recover. What worries me a bit is that he’s playing. ‘is withdrawn from Wimbledon, the Olympics and now the US Open.
This means the injury may be more serious than expected, and I’m a little worried about the future, “he added.
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