Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been absent from the title match at the ATP Finals for the past two years, replaced by ...
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been absent from the title match at the ATP Finals for the past two years, replaced by younger rivals seeking to smash their monopoly.
Instead of the “Big Three” it was Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev who took centre stage at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday, with Russia’s Medvedev coming out on top.
But do the results at the season-ending tournament signal the end of an era for men’s tennis or another false dawn for the chasing pack?
Poor predictor
The demise of Djokovic and Nadal at the hands of younger rivals on a dramatic Saturday in London felt significant, and not just for the results themselves.
Austria’s Thiem, 27, produced an astonishing comeback from 4-0 down in the deciding tie-break to beat world number one Djokovic – after squandering four match points in the second-set tie-break.
Fourth-seed Medvedev did not let the loss of the first set to Nadal faze him, roaring back to end the Spaniard’s record of 71 consecutive wins after winning the opening set.
But recent history shows the season-ending ATP Finals do not provide a reliable indicator of what is to come the following season.
Medvedev, 24, is the sixth different winner of the event in six years.
Since Andy Murray lifted the trophy...
