The big three’s dominance in modern tennis has been maximal. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have created waves for more than a decade. No one outside this group has bagged a realistic chance of consistently winning the titles. Only Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray have managed to pose some challenge to their domination. However, both are recuperating from injuries this year.
Who will win this year’s Roger’s Cup
So in this context, the question is: can the youngsters be even with the big three?
Rogers Cup presents one of the greatest opportunities to the young rising stars for showcasing their superior skills and youthful energy. Therefore, all eyes are on Nadal, Tsitsipas and Auger Aliassime. Before you start placing the bet on anyone out of the three, the biggest truth is that their job is a lot less challenging this time because of Novak and Roger’s withdrawals.
Out of the three, Nadal is possibly the weakest on hard court matches. His records on hard court matches are comparatively menial to all his illustrious contenders. Till now, he has not revealed much about his gaming schedule but is wary of overemphasizing hard court plays. That is because he has been battling knee issues for more than eighteen months on the hard courts. However, he is not any novice as testified by his multiple hard court grand slams (Australian Open and US Open). Also, he is the Rogers Cup’s defending champion from last year and will certainly be eyeing the fifth title.
In a press interview, The Spaniard has said that: “I cannot be playing tennis thinking about whether or not something can happen to me. Because, when my rivals play a physical game, then if things happen, they happen and you have to remedy them”. He further added:” “My calendar is adapting and changing to my needs at each moment more than having a totally planned thing”.
And, with Djokovic and Federer missing on the hard court, he may be sensing an excellent opportunity.
On the other hand, Felix Auger Aliassime will be participating in the Rogers Cup for the first time and this shall be his home ground because he is from Canada. The eighteen-year-old star player is versatile, talented and has proven that he can play on all the three surfaces. One of the prominent weapons is his serve and the young star has an unbeaten record of 6-0 against Stefan Tsitsipas, as far as their junior days are concerned. Moreover, the Canadian star has beaten the Young Greek twice in 2019.
Coming to the Young Greek who is all of twenty did cool off on grass but with Rogers Cup will be back on what is arguably the best surface of his. For 2019’s better part, Tsitsipas played at a blazing pace by reaching Grand Slam’s semi-finals, cracking top ten and winning two tennis titles. However, his first-round flameout during Wimbledon briefly hit a low but now the 20-year-old, being back on the hardcourt, truly rewards all aspects of his game.
His versatility from the back court, his serves, movement and willingness to move forward, gel together miraculously.
So, the biggest question is: Will the youngsters hold the Rogers Cup this time, Or Will the overwhelming favourite of all times, Nadal, add a feather of Masters to his hat. This is for us to see.
