Nothing fundamental has changed in the upper echelons of tennis. US Open victory by Jannik Sinner has only outlined more clearly that the tip is cemented. Final opponent Taylor Fritz is one of those players who can annoy the big guys a bit, but can’t really hurt them in important games.
The big ones? Die Big Three There are. A few years ago there were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are now Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (the two shared the four Grand Slams this year in a brotherly manner, for the first time since 2002 none of the “old” Big Three won one of the four major tournaments) and Novak Djokovicwho many wanted to see retired, but who showed with Olympic gold that he is not willing to leave the stage to the young.
With Djokovic it is a matter of organization
No, 37 or not: Djokovic will at least compete for the large benefice play along. At this age, it’s not about ability, but about good organization of work time. The number one spot is a long way off, he’s too old for that, but with a careful tournament plan, one or two big throws are still possible. Or even several throws.
The world rankings do not reveal everything anyway. Carlos Alcaraz, who has won little outside of the important tournaments, is not even number two behind the superior leader Sinner, but Alexander ZverevBut without a major title, the German is not (yet) entitled to be called a member of the top guard. Even an Olympic victory won’t help.
The Eternal Crown Prince Daniil Medvedev
But Djokovic will not be a member forever, and it is doubtful whether Zverev, now 27, can join the team led by 23-year-old Sinner and 21-year-old Alcaraz. Daniil Medvedev (28), the eternal crown prince and six-time Grand Slam finalist and one-time winner (2021 US Open), was, with one exception, always at his wits’ end when Djokovic or Nadal were on the other side of the court. He was recently at a loss against Sinner at the US Open. Dominic Thiem was the closest match to the best, Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked on the top and disappeared again.
Who can follow Djokovic? You have to look further into the future and especially at his date of birth. Has Holger Rune (21) finally under control? Are Ben Shelton (21) and US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper (22) and so on? The youngest man in the top 100 is the Czech Jacob MensikAnd you should remember the name, Mensik is number 66 and only turned 19 on September 1st. We will also hear more from the Brazilian Joao Fonseca, who just turned 18. And then there is Joel Schwärzler from Vorarlberg, who is also 18 years old…
Of course, linking these names with Novak Djokovic is a dubious tea-reading. Besides, the Serb is still here. And when he plays, he wants to win. And he will. See Olympia.
(kurier.at, hot)
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09.09.2024, 12:00
