Carlos Alcaraz was not yet born the last time neither Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic participated in the season-ending Masters. At the time, in 2001, the Masters were Kuerten, Hewitt, Agassi, Ferrero, Kafelnikov, Rafter, Grosjean and Ivanisevic. They had 16 Grand Slam titles at the start of the tournament, nine more than the eight who will compete, starting Sunday, November 10, in Turin. An edition which therefore struggles to impress on paper with few attractive posters and a relative stake.
At the end of a season dominated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who each won two Grand Slams, the gap seems clear with the rest of the field. Level symbol below the standards of such an event, only three players have already won a Major, while Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev have never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage. The Australian, with Casper Ruud, is also one of the two players whose most prestigious career title remains an ATP 500, the third category of tournaments.
“If we compare with the era of the Big 3, or even Big 4 when Murray joined it, it was not the same thing. The level of the Masters was higher than what it is today”analyzes Arnaud Clément, consultant for franceinfo: sport. “Rublev is having one of his worst seasons in several years and is still qualified for the Masters. Ruud, we can't consider him to have a great season either.”engages the former tenth player in the world.
Appointments to check off, there will be few from the hens. If the remakes of the finals of the Australian Open (Sinner-Medvedev), Roland-Garros (Alcaraz-Zverev) and the US Open (Sinner-Fritz) can attract, the nine other matches of this phase struggle to make you salivate. Interest in the ATP rankings is also low, with the world number 1 place at the end of the season already being promised to Jannik Sinner.
“On paper, we see confrontations that may seem a little less sexy.”
Arnaud Clémentat franceinfo: sport
Symbol of the absence of domination on the part of a majority of players qualified for the Masters, Novak Djokovic played only 10 point-scoring tournaments this season, winning none, and still had enough units to claim this season finale. Wounded, he preferred to give it up.
Among the players on foot, the physique still questions the level of tennis they will be able to produce in Turin. All of them have played more than 60 matches this season, and even up to 86 for Alexander Zverev. Jannik Sinner has just skipped Paris for an intestinal virus, a tournament where Carlos Alcaraz exited in the round of 16 against Ugo Humbert. “The uncertainty is really in this aspect”supports Arnaud Clément. It's up to the players to make the skeptics lie.
