2023-11-12 00:36:00
As prestigious, exciting as it is paradoxical. The 2023 edition of the Masters, organized for the third consecutive year in the Pala Alpitour starting this Sunday, does not lack salt even though one man still seems above the rest. Undefeated since the Wimbledon final (18 consecutive victories), Novak Djokovic, who remains on three titles (US Open, Cincinnati and Rolex Paris Masters) arrives in Piedmont with confidence at the zenith. And yet, the battle promises to be fiercer than ever, starting in the group stage which promises to be exciting.
Because behind the king, this Masters tournament resembles a microcosm of the war of succession between two generations. First there is the one who was the first “Next Gen” who subscribed to this meeting in recent years. Aged 25 to 27, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev all have at least three appearances in these ATP Finals and each time consecutively, the German, who has already played the competition five times, having missed the 2022 meeting due to his serious injury to his right ankle.
The “Next Gen” has already left its mark on the charts
Better: from 2018 to 2021, they topped the list – Zverev in 2018 and 2021, Tsitsipas in 2019 and Medvedev in 2020 – before Djokovic’s comeback last year. Rublev is therefore the only one of the lot not to have been crowned in the event, but the Russian seems to be getting to grips with the event better and better since he remains in a semi-final. Each member of this quartet of regulars who have already proven themselves can therefore hope to see the last four. Add to that the absence of Rafael Nadal and the arrival of novices and here they are confirmed in their status as first outsiders.
Jostled by Zverev, Tsitsipas comes through strong: the summary of his qualification in the quarters
Except that the novices of this 2023 edition are only on paper. How can we compare them to Félix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz last year, last minute guests after a fantastic end to the season, all amazed and almost surprised to be invited to the party? Certainly, the American, semi-finalist, had a good run in 2022, but perhaps above all precisely because he was not expected. However, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune arrive with ambitions linked to a more than affirmed status in the elite.
False novices and “Big 3” of the future
All three have already made or are part of the Top 5 in the world and are distinguished by their precocity. They have no time to lose, like Carlos Alcaraz who has already surpassed the “Next Gen” in the results. The youngest world number 1 in history, he already has one more Grand Slam title than Medvedev, the only one of the previous generation to have broken this glass ceiling. If the Spaniard is indeed going to discover the Masters, this should not have been the case since he qualified last year but had to withdraw due to injury.
Physically fresher, mentally stronger, Sinner tames Medvedev: the summary of the final
Jannik Sinner, for his part, had never qualified directly, but he is by no means a novice. Substitute during the 2021 edition, he played two matches, sweeping aside Hubert Hurkacz before narrowly losing to Medvedev. Titled in Beijing and Vienna at the end of the season, he has recovered well in recent days after withdrawing from the Rolex Paris Masters and is perhaps the one who is in the best shape on the field behind Djokovic.
In Piedmont, the Italian will have an additional advantage which could give him extra soul: he will play at home. “The crowd will be behind me and I will do my best to make the fans as happy as possible and try to win as many matches as possible. I will try to enjoy it too. It’s nice for our sport to see the young people to move up. It’s really nice to be part of this rivalry,” Sinner said, referring to Alcaraz and Rune.
As for Holger Rune, nothing scares him. The Dane, who sees himself forming the future “Big 3” with Alcaraz and Sinner, was already not far from validating his ticket to Turin last year after his epic at Bercy. His recent association with Boris Becker revived him after several months of doubt, as shown by his more than honorable defeat against Djokovic in the quarter-final. Having barely lost the match, the Dane already said he was eager to take his revenge, why not in Italy. It will be served from Sunday evening. Let the festivities begin !
Sinner: “Turin, it’s going to be really special”
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