Madrid’s NEW-GEN domination
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Madrid heartbreak for Rafael Nadal
There have been occasions when a young player got a noticeable slot in the end rounds of big events. Often it was one-off. The present set of New-Gen players are hanging in to dominate. The semifinals and finals of Madrid Open showed New-Gen players are a force to be reckoned with.
The Women’s Madrid Open final had unseeded Kiki Bertens, and the Men’s had Alexander Zverev and Dominic Theim. Their Tennis was a ‘all court’ game capability and they comfortably walked past the big names. Thiem on his way to the finals, broke Nadal’s Service game 5 times, when he beat him and stopped Nadal’s 40+ Sets winning streak. A young Serbian Dlajovic made an impressive appearance. Djokovic went out well before the quarters.
Surviving sand trap
The sand court, among professionals, is known as the ‘sand trap’. Not a place where green fingers did well. In this situation, the least was expected from the ‘New-Gen’ players, but they stole the show. They have arrived to take over from the upper echelon that dominated for a decade. WTA’s Kiki Bertens from the Netherlands and ATP’s Alexander Zverev from Germany and Dominic Thiem from Austria and Canada’s Denis Shapovalov showed their Tennis to be superior.
NEW-GEN Label
The thought, identification and the design of the New-Gen program by ATP and the equivalent from WTA, deserves credit. What triggered the programme was the absence of challenge to the 4 big, ageing names among Men, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, with Serena Williams, Wozniacki, Halep and Sharapova among the Women.
The inability of emerging players, for a long time, was to stay after surfacing. Without an intermediate tier of recognition, New-Gen players could not sustain their effort. Today, it is said that, it was the reason behind few players dominating the top positions for a long time, as it happened in the past decade. Due to the absence of an intermediate tier, Tennis lost much of the new talents and its punch in the global audience count. It was a ‘wake-up call’ to Tennis management globally.
Madrid Tennis
As one of the preludes to the French Open, the Madrid Open was a very effective event. Even on the slow clay courts, the speed of the game from the quarterfinals was, in both genders, noticeably high. Teenage Canadian Shapovalov beat much fancied veteran countryman Milos Raonic in straight Sets, just outpacing him. Shapovalov, a good mover, played standing close to the baseline and, at the first opportunity, moved into the court to hit his winners. He plays an unpredictable game which is very effective.
Shapovalov’s pattern was always considered risky in professional Tennis. Most veterans stood well behind the baseline, except Federer. Playing from the baseline or, a little inside the court, can eliminate up to 6 meters of ball movement’s time to the opponent. Though it sounds to be little, repeated over 6-7 shots successively can make the opponent late for a shot and play defensively. This is what a good player needs to kill.
Federer Issue
The Madrid Open being a compulsory event, the attendance of the top ranked players was only near complete. Nadal and Djokovic played, Murray is injured, but Federer kept off to rest. There is some discontent among the players and management whether Federer’s non-appearance is acceptable.
Alexander Zevrev
Zevrev, a German with Russian ancestry, is the biggest appeal in Men’s Tennis now. Former German champion Boris Beckker was a regular court-side presence in every match Zevrev played. He is comfortably in the Top 5 of the world ranking. He plays a very strong game and is difficult to be outpaced.
Standing well over 6 ft in height, Zevrev moves extremely well. His Service, Volley, Drop shot and Forehand are lethal in placement and power. To win the Madrid Open title he beat Thiem for the 4th time in straight Sets. With a well calculated shot selection, he deprived Thiem the opportunity to use his very effective inside out Forehand. It was that shot of Theim that totally rattled Nadal earlier. Incidentally, Zverev now has the record of winning 17 Sets without losing any.
Women in the Madrid Open also displayed very good Tennis. Here too, the all court game of the winner Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova, was exceptional. She exhibits immense maturity and physical capability for a 6-footer. This year she has won 4 Titles and only earned US$ 2.5 million as prize money. Due to injuries she received from a knife attack in her own apartment in her country, she was out of Tennis for over a year. This is her 3rd Title win in Madrid. She is aiming to be in the Top 3 of the ranking at the end of the European season. I feel she will get it.
Safe Tennis- an issue
The 4 Top ranked Women, Halep, Wozniacki, Pliskova and Muguruza play ‘safety first Tennis’. It is not helping them win Titles. Once a player reaches the Top 5, the formula to stay there takes a different shape. Halep, for example, is relying on her opponent’s errors, than working out opportunities to hit winners. She did not get to this position doing that but, playing an aggressive game. This European season will decide her fate. -George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/ coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com -