The inaugural Next Gen ATP finals will showcase the talents of Andrey Rublev and his like but will not paint a definitive picture of the future of men’s tennisWhen Andy Murray threw the US Open into mild disarray by pulling out injured two days before the start of the tournament, the hype surrounding Alex Zverez inevitably went up a notch. Much as the resurgence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had captured the imagination, challengers to their retro dominance looked alarmingly thin on the ground after Murray joined Novak Djokovic, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka on the list of absentees. Men’s tennis needed a jolt from a tyro like Zverev.It felt as if the exciting young German’s time...
The Spaniard’s victory at the US Open for his 16th grand slam title was a tribute to his enduring commitment and he reacted to the triumph with typical graceIn three words, Rafael Nadal captured the essence of his tennis career and his life: “Very happy, no?”It was getting late at Flushing Meadows, a place where the Spanish clay-court supremo was never supposed to thrive but where he has appeared in four finals, won three titles and won 53 of 64 matches. Only a few hours earlier, he had neutered the power of the big South African Kevin Anderson to take his tally of majors to 16, again only three behind Roger Federer. Related: The US Open showed black women have...
Argentina’s No24 seed dug deep to overcome Dominic Thiem, and hopes to ride the crowd’s love once again in his quarter-final against the SwissJuan Martín del Potro, who has lifted the 2017 US Open out of the mire with one heroic performance, is now expected to do it all again when he meets Roger Federer in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, and that is asking a lot of the ailing Argentinian with the big game and even bigger heart.If Del Potro, still struggling physically, somehow rises to the occasion a second time in three days, and if he repeats his win over the No3 seed that delivered him his only slam title here in 2009, he will have to ride the...
Swiss No3 seed happy despite taking five sets against an American teenager while Spain’s French Open champion is annoyed despite a much easier rideRoger Federer and Rafael Nadal have survived many crises in their parallel careers, and both are relieved to remain on schedule for a semi-final showdown at the 2017 US Open after dealing with contrasting challenges in the first round. However, the Swiss, who had to go five sets, seems considerably more content than the Spaniard, who was back in the locker room after only minor inconveniences in his match.The look on Federer’s face when the American teenager Frances Tiafoe stumbled inches from the line as he came within a few tantalising shots of what would have been the...
With Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer struggling with injuries, can the next generation, led by Dimitrov, Thiem and Zverev, finally step up?What to make of the state of men’s tennis? For the best part of a decade a quartet of hall‑of‑famers have transcended their sport by lifting it to hitherto untouched heights with their titanic struggle for supremacy while below them a host of challengers have strained to swell the numbers of the elite club known as the Big Four. Plenty have tried, most have failed. Some have offered flashes of impertinence but only Stan Wawrinka has provided a sustained threat to the established order. The entry requirements are gruelling. The top players ally astonishing skill with an...