Novak Djokovic's 19-match winning streak came to a screeching halt on Tuesday night as Jannik Sinner pulled off the upset to earn his first win over the Serbian.
Sinner duly delivered in front of a sold-out crowd inside the Pala Alpitour in Turin. Considering the circumstances, the 22-year-old labeled it as the best win of his young career so far. Sinner struck 37 winners in the match and saved two of three break points to close out a three-hour epic 7-5, 6-7, 7-6.
Aside from blowing the group wide open, defeat had a peculiar meaning for Djokovic who lost for the first time since the Wimbledon final in July. On that occasion, it was Carlos Alcaraz who staged one of the most incredible comebacks to snatch a second Grand Slam title in London.
If you rewind the tape a couple of months earlier, Djokovic's last defeat before Wimbledon was against Holger Rune in the Rome Masters quarterfinal. The trio of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Rune form the NexGen Big Three.
Sinner has obviously graduated from that NextGen project. He won the title at that level back in 2019. Alcaraz, meanwhile, is also a former champion of the Next Gen Finals, winning it in 2021. Rune remains the only one of the three who hasn't hoisted the 21 and under tournament.
But because he has fast-tracked his rise into the world's Top 10, the Dane can focus on competing for the biggest honors, which includes the ATP Finals. After nearly two decades of dominance by the traditional Big Three of Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, are we witnessing a regime change at the top?
Well, Djokovic's last three defeats could have a far greater meaning than just losing another tennis match. It is no longer a matter of the Next Gen coming, but they have finally arrived. It is not an accident he's lost to the trio. They are players who have special qualities.
Alcaraz has earned the most plaudits thanks to his two Grand Slam wins. Djokovic is a big fan and reckons his game is a mix of the traditional Big 3. Sinner has clearly stepped up this season, reaching his first major semifinal at Wimbledon and ascending to a career-high ranking of No. 4.
And Rune, the other man in the band, appears to have got his priorities sorted since appointing Boris Becker as his new coach. But when you flip the script, each of Djokovic's defeats to these three players has awoken something in him.
After losing to Rune in Rome, he went on to win Roland Garros for a third time. The Wimbledon final was the only match he lost at Grand Slam level this season, but he left an indelible mark in his next two tournaments in Cincinnati and the US Open.
So, maybe we shouldn't be quick to form any rapid conclusions of a power shift following his defeat to Sinner, especially with the record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title in sight.
0 Comments