While the players are on a paradisiacal beach or training in the preseason and the planet prepares to say goodbye to 2021 and to welcome a new year, which is expected much better from the health aspect with the end of the Covid pandemic- 19, in Break Point we take advantage of this stretch without so much tennis activity and We propose a balance with 10 conclusions that this season left us. Although it is almost impossible to synthesize 10 months of competition in just a few lines, the idea is to put into words a balance on what happened during the men’s circuit.
1. Djokovic continues to reign
Novak Djokovic He is the best player in the history of tennis. Beyond personal tastes (opinions are totally subjective), it is undeniable to recognize all their records. In fact, week after week he continues to increase his numbers as No. 1 in the ranking, a statistic that he already leads by a significant margin over Roger Federer. In addition, he reached 20 Grand Slams won (Australia, Paris and Wimbledon, in 2021) and was on the verge of leading that list, a fact unthinkable a decade ago when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were the rulers among men. Five consecrations (Paris-Bercy and Belgrade 2 join those already mentioned in Slams) mark a golden year, which had only one asterisk: not being able to complete the Golden Slam (it fell in the final of the US Open and in the semifinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics) and did not win the ATP Finals.
2. Medvedev, the main opponent of No. 1
If Nole is the King, Daniil Medvedev he is the main candidate to stay with the throne in the short term. Despite not having been able to rise to the top of the international ladder, he showed that he is capable of continuing his gradual growth. So much so that he already unlocked the item at the Grand Slams (he lifted the trophy in New York). In turn, he finished the year with 63 victories, added four more titles to his record, which is already at 13, and marked an advantage over the other pursuers. Can you make the final leap in 2022?
3. Zverev is just right
Six titles and placed last on the podium. With 24 years, Alexander Zverev he displayed magnificent tennis for much of the season. Although he was involved for a long time in the court case brought by his ex-partner for domestic violence, the German managed to put the problems off the track. From Tokyo, where he won the championship, he did not take his foot off the gas. In the best of three sets, he seems almost unbeatable, but he will have to maintain his physicality and his mental and tennis regularity in the Slams.
4. Federer only has one last dance left and Rafa demonstrated his validity on clay
Season of Roger Federer and of Rafael Nadal it is almost impossible to qualify (mainly that of the Swiss). Both suffered severe injuries (to the knee and the left foot, respectively) and were forced to finish the season early. In fact, Roger still doesn’t know when he will play again. That is why he knows that he has a last dance left. Not out of wanting to hit the track, but because, at 40, the physicist is warning him that the end of his career is approaching. When he played in 2021 he didn’t do it badly: second week at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On the other hand, the Spaniard showed certain advantages on clay that he did not give before (he gave sets against players outside the top50) and even lost before the account in the French capital. Even so, he was champion in Rome and Barcelona.
5. Don’t forget the Challenger circuit
If there is something that 2021 made clear to us, it is that the Challenger circuit is very tough. The level is so strong that many would have no problem beating top rivals at the Grand Slams. Neither the huge stadiums nor the full capacity make them nervous. Indeed, there are many names to highlight that shone in the majors without having arrived with so much poster. Aslan Karatsev was the history of the Australian Open (he broke into the semifinals from the previous phase) and Botic Van de Zandschulp only fell into the quarters of Flushing Meadows. Then, there were several tennis players who gave a major scare to the best and even achieved a historic triumph.
6. Alcaraz, the most promising appearance of all 2021
Not much to say about Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image that has not been commented so far. They praise him even the main figures of the circuit. It had been showing signs that it had something to adapt to in the elite, but such accelerated growth was not expected either. Debut in the record at Umag, triumphs against top10 (Tsitsipas, Sinner, Berrettini) and a spectacular finish at the Next Gen Finals.
7. Russia has a team to dominate in team competitions
We already dedicate an article to talk at length about Russian dominance in 2021. Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Karatsev are enough four players to top team tournaments, which are usually defined in singles. Anyway, they can make more than strong pairs of doubles. They already exposed it with the victories in the ATP Cup and in the Davis Cup.
8. The frozen ranking ruined tennis
The measure of having frozen the ranking as a result of the coronavirus pandemic sounded smart. And it even seemed logical in the midst of the cancellation of flights, constant tests and lack of vaccines. However, it was overstretched and ended up hurting several players who were left without playing Grand Slams, ATP competitions and others. In fact, many only raised their level when this possibility of sustaining past points was extinguished.
9. Murray still has something to give
2021 seemed like the end of Andy Murray’s career. However, it left more than positive signs about the end of the year: it surpassed some top-10s and came very close to beating other tops. If you regain your physical intensity for several days in a row, you could return to the final stages of the tournaments again.
10. The Twilight of Goffin, Raonic and Querrey
There are many players who stepped forward this year. Meanwhile, others decreased their performance considerably for various reasons (physical problems, inconvenience to stabilize in a circuit with emerging kids, etc). Such were the cases of David Goffin (from 14th to 39th), Milos Raonic (from 15th to 70th) and Sam Querrey (out of the top 100). Nick Kyrgios could also integrate this list.
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