Stefanos Tsitsipas! What a breath-taking final match we saw. That was the finish of the season we wished for. Dominic Thiem, who was able to beat Djokovic and Federer in the group stage, was just three balls short. Tsitsipas was an inch better and now he can celebrate.
Here is ten things we will remember from this season ATP Finals.
G.O.A.T – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
#1 – Djokovic, Federer, Nadal are still strong enough to be in Top 10 next season. However, they are not strong enough to hold all Top 3 places in the standings for a full season.
#2 – Nadal showed great fighting spirit. He did not play his best tennis but he was like pitbull who never gives up. In the end, he did not qualify for semi-finals but he can leave London with his head up.
#3 – Federer play in the group stage went from bad to the best. His second set against Berrettini and then both sets against Djokovic were his best performances this year. Unfortunately, he was not able to keep the pace on Saturday against Tsitsipas. The stability of performance is his main problem when facing good and younger opponents. That is the reason I doubt he will ever again win any Grand Slam. With all respect, two weeks and really tough opponents in the second week are just too much for 38 years old player.
#4 – Djokovic had a great season but the end was not as good as he expected (and me as well – see my pre-tournament prediction). His performance went from the best to the worst. Maybe the fatigue or the cruel loss with Thiem made him vulnerable against Federer.
The Successor – Dominic Thiem
#5 – Dominic Thiem is not a member of the NextGen players anymore. He is 26 (three years older than others) and he is over his “young and promising” years. Now he is more mature and he proves it every match this season. It is just a question of the time when he wins Roland Garros and moves higher in the ranking. He and Novak Djokovic have most ATP tournament wins (5) this season. He is not just a perfect clay player. He is able to win at any given surface. In my eyes, he is the one who will replace Nadal or Federer in Top3 very soon.
NextGen
#6 – Matteo Berrettini first ATP Finals appearance after the breakthrough season ended as everyone expected. He was too shy and too inexperienced in his first two matches against legends. Next time it will be much better.
#7 – Alexander Zverev lacked the consistency from the last edition of ATP Finals. Defending the title is always harder and his ATP Finals 2019 was like his 2019 season mirrored in one week. Win, Loss, Win, Loss.
#8 – Daniil Medvedev had the great second half of the season. He is so skilled and definitely has the potential to be future number 1. However, the number of tournaments and matches he played from August till November took its toll. We did not see the best out of him this week but I believe he will return stronger next season.
#9 – Stefanos Tsitsipas is another promising star. It is hard for 23 years old player to beat two of three G.O.A.T in one week but he at least showed he can bite till the end of the last set. The win over Thiem was just the cream on the top. He together with Zverev, Medvedev and Berrettini are the players who will rule the tennis world in the coming years. Not next season but then they will challenge Djokovic and Thiem dominance.
Davis Cup?
#10 – There is one tournament left this season. A new Davis Cup. It promises a lot of interesting matches like a good ATP 500 tournament. However, it is really hard to guess the atmosphere in Madrid as the format is new. Hope for the best.
Next Season? Grand Slam Winners? Losers? Check our Tennis Predictions 2020.
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