The absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Miami Open 2023 he allowed the new wave of tennis players to show their guts. Five of the eight quarterfinalists are 25 or younger. And, most importantly, that they are seen as the great alternative of generational change.
Spanish stands out among all Carlos Alcaraz, who at just 19 years old came to Miami as number one in the world. And together with him, the Italian Jannik Sinner, 21, shone; the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori, 23; the Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo, 24; and the American Taylor Fritz, 25.
To all of them were added the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and the Norwegian Casper Ruud, 24 years old; and the Russian Andrey Rublev, 25.
Of this multitude of players, only Alcaraz sports a Grand Slam title, after having won the US Open last year.
Unlike the era of Roger Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, who spearheaded a romantic, elegant and effective style of tennis, this new generation appears with extraordinary physical power and with such amazing dynamics that it allows its exponents to make impossible and explained plays. only for the speed and great reaction with which they are executed.
It was very difficult in the first two decades of the new century to challenge the three kings of tennis, who have won a total of 64 Grand Slam crowns since Federer (20) scored his first in 2003 and is only surpassed by the 22 they wear, each, Djokovic and Nadal.
They left a few for the British Andy Murray (3), the Swiss Stan Wawrinka (3), the Argentine Juan Martín del Potro (1), the Croatian Marin Cilic (1) and the Austrian Dominic Thiem (1).
The generation that was supposed to replace the three wise men never materialized and names like the Australian Nick Kyrgios, the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and the Argentine Diego Schwartzman threatened but did not displace the greats.
This time the figure is different.
At 35 and 36 years old, respectively, Djokovic and Nadal will have to put in a lot of effort to take on the new wave of tennis. Federer retired last year.
“Alcaraz and Sinner have a higher level than the rest,” said the authoritative voice of “Torre” Del Potro a few days ago. Not only they, however, are a threat. You also have to consider Tsitsipas and Rublev, who are a submachine gun.
The Alcaraz thing is amazing. He is a thorough professional. At the press conferences at the Miami Open, he shows up at the agreed time after his matches. He doesn’t keep anyone waiting.
Rublev, who usually trains with the Spaniard, tells him that he told him in practice: “I am admired because you are never wrong.” To which Alcaraz replied: “It’s that I try to imitate the way you hit the ball.”
Durability in tennis has a lot to do with injuries and the most physical players tend to last less than the technical ones.
Alcaraz, for example, is a player of extraordinary technical quality but he has reached the top of his game because of the boundless energy he puts into every action. He plays to the limit. When he is on the court there is no middle ground. Each ball is played as if it were the final. He demands himself to the maximum. And one wonders, how long will that body resist?
It is the same spirit that has led Nadal to become one of the great athletes in history.
We saw Alcaraz’s extraordinary physical display at the Miami Open and we saw him in all his splendor because he was taken to the extreme by figures like him.
The best tennis players of our time paraded on the courts of the Hard Rock Stadium: Sinner, Tsitsipas, Ruud, Cerúndolo, Rublev, Ruusuvuori, Fritz and the Danish Holger Rone, 19, among others. The 2023 Miami Open was the launching pad for a group of young people full of talent and power called to reign in the turbulent 20s.
