It wasn’t just his first title in a Masters 1000. Holger Rune, before beating Novak Djokovic, one of the best tennis players of all time and obviously one of the best today, had left four more top ten to be consecrated in Paris. The Dane has thus become the second leader – the other is obviously Carlos Alcaraz – of the new generation of the circuit who will try to become the absolute ruler in the coming years. Together with both also appear names such as Felix Auger Aliassime, Jannick Sinner and, always in a lower step, Lorenzo Musetti and Sebastian Korda. Quality assured.
The question then inevitably arises: is that group of players born after 2000 superior to that formed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz, for example? Everything seems to indicate that the answer is yes. And here the rankings obtained and the titles conquered do not come into question because, in fact, the generation in which the Russian Medvedev – former number 1 in the world – commands has earned more than that of his younger colleagues. It is simply about throwing a group of guys who have hit the ball very hard but also have a fair amount of talent to ensure that there will be plenty of Grand Slam champions there.
It is true that Medvedev and company, at the age of Alcaraz and his family, had to fight against the fullness of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. And that if the three greatest actors in history had not existed or simply existed in another time, they could exhibit a greater number of achievements today. But when they were old enough and tennis players enough to take the tour by storm, they didn’t. And the little ones are not to blame for that.
Outside of analysis and opinion, the positive is that there will be a year of luxury in 2023. With various players from three different generations who will be ready for a great battle. Tennis, thank you.
Source: Clarin
