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The 2020 tennis season is over. Not only has Corona left its mark on the ATP tour this year. It’s also clear: the air above is thinning for the former rulers of the scene.
Daniil Medvedev secured his last big title on Sunday at the ATP Finals. The Russian beat Austrian Dominic Thiem in three sets in a thrilling final.
The two delivered spectacular rallies at the highest level. Thiem beat the winners from all positions, Medvedev made life difficult for his opponent with his unorthodox play as usual. In the end, the eight break points rejected in the third round didn’t help the nervous Thiem either, Medvedev managed the decisive break.
The mental tenacity of the finalists was impressive to see. Being cold-blooded in crucial moments turns normal players into champions in this sport. In addition to 27-year-old US Open winner Thiem, who has had the best direct record against male tennis rulers (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) in the past two years, the robbed Medvedev has certainly tasted blood.
Many factors speak against Federer
In the group stage he clearly beat world number 1 Novak Djokovic in two sets. In the semifinals he was one set behind Rafael Nadal before defeating the Spaniard. In the final he recovered one set of deficit against the number 3. Since 1973 a tennis professional had never managed to beat the top three of the world rankings in the ATP finals.
The 24-year-old pushed Federer from fourth place in the world rankings before London. The Swiss fought his last serious battle on 20 January 2020 (defeat in the semifinals to Djokovic). The 39-year-old also wants to return to Melbourne. The long absence will be evident, says former top player Greg Rusedski: “You won’t see the boy of 2017”.
Indeed, it will be a tough road for the 20-time Grand Slam winner to return to the top 3. In 784 weeks, Federer has consistently been on the podium. With Thiem and Medvedev, however, in addition to his two bitter rivals Djokovic and Nadal, two new competitors have grown too big that they shouldn’t give up on their front place so quickly. And behind them, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, press two other young players who have qualities for the top.
Federer’s long-awaited return becomes a herculean task. He has to rely on getting through the first few laps with as little energy as possible. Due to the increased width at the top, the danger of Federer meeting an opponent who can defeat him earlier has increased. Current opponents can no longer be crushed by his aura as they once were. Unfortunately, the lack of match practice is difficult to simulate in training. Eventually it becomes difficult to add a new note to your playing. With Thiem or Medvedev, on the other hand, the learning curve is steeply ascending. At the moment they would also be a major obstacle for a Federer without knee problems. But a “teacher” grows with his tasks.
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