As we are nearing the second Grand Slam tournament of the year - Roland Garros - and players are feeling their respective ways on clay in various lead up events, it is time for me to indulge in a personal assessment of how some of the big ATP names are travelling. Not however to just continually concentrate on the same old (to be honest becoming a little boring now) raqueteers, but to be excited in a non patronising fashion about a young brigade beginning to annoy the heck out of King Rafa, Doyen Djoker, and you know the others upon whom we hark ad infinitum.
I will begin with Nadal since he appears to own practically all the clay courts worldwide. One Barcelona court is named in his honour, and he happened to win there this year for the twelfth time, confirming his totally selfish approach to the game when this dirt surface is utilised.
While the result achieved was unsurprising, his journey to glory was not as short a walk in the park as in previous jaunts.
He took three sets to beat a qualifier in his first match, and another three to sneak past Nishikori, and the final against Tsitsipas was the longest match over three sets this year. He did win, which was better than earlier in Monte Carlo where he lost his grip when Andrey Rublev knocked him over in the quarter finals.
He’s presently on track to win In Madrid, although he hasn’t actually hit the court in a first round match yet.
Novak Djokovic is a mystery so far on clay in 2021. He is either losing to players well beneath his ranking - ref Evans, Karatsev - or withdrawing from tournaments such as Madrid. Not to worry - he will probably do the Djokovic trick and slip through the RG draw because all he really wants is more GS titles.
Tsitsipas has teased us for awhile now, but this year looks to have planted his feet firmly on the ground, now appropriately on the clay courts.
Before the clay, his record was semis at AO and Rotterdam, quarters at Marseille, final at Acapulco, quarters at Miami.
Onto the red stuff, and within a fortnight, he snatched Monte Carlo then came within a whisker of dethroning Nadal in Barcelona.
RG could give the Greek #1 a major breakthrough, if not the ultimate.
Dominic Thiem, normally expected to lead those causing trouble for the Big Two is himself finding one knee anything but fun this year, and is hoping some light may shine in Madrid and other places he hits tennis balls pre Paris.
His record in 2021 is 5-4 from three tournaments played, all hard court, the last in March.
Now for the ones coming up with consistent high quality tennis to maybe question any thought of invincibility within the acclaimed elite.
Jannik Sinner is still a teenager, but is seventh in the ATP Race to Turin, and has won already in Melbourne this year in an AO lead up tournament, and reached his first Masters 1000 final in Miami.
On clay, he lost in Monte Carlo in a second round match, but can be forgiven as it was to the world #1, and in Barcelona he defeated Rublev and Bautista Agut en route to a semi final loss to Tsitsipas.
He has created mass tongue dropping amongst the most valid and even faux commentators, and there is a fair degree of validation for the salivation given the vast and varied potential carried in his tennis bag of wonder.
His is dangerous, especially strong with backhand, but not averse to angering from the other wing, always balanced, and moving intuitively.
Russia won the 2021 ATP Cup, Rublev and Medvedev the keys. In doubles, Aslan Karatsev played his part, and since then has soared in singles, semi finalist at the AO, ranked 114 and only defeated by the champion.
Now ranked in the top 30, after a title in Dubai and finalist in Belgrade, dumping Djokovic in the legends home country, the third Russian is now in the top echelon and making a significant impression towards RG.
So there’s a portion of the cut of meat, and how it could be sliced and diced in a few weeks time for our dining pleasure.
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