During a press conference after the Rolex Paris Masters final, Cédric Pioline expressed his opinion on the future of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Pioline explained: “I think Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will stay at the top level for another two seasons.
There are three different generations who aspire to the most important trophies at the moment. We have the usual Nadal and Djokovic, who have no intention of giving up the sceptre.
Then there are Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, although there is a question mark regarding the Austrian. Then this year, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime and many more arrived.
ready to dazzle the gallery. The next few years are going to be very exciting.” After losing the Bercy final, Djokovic had kind words for Rune: “It’s amazing that such a young player can handle pressure so well.
He beat five Top 10 players this week, so he deserved to win the tournament. ”
Nadal, between the defeat at Bercy and the hopes of the ATP Finals
Nadal did not go beyond the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters, a tournament that did not bring him luck during his career.
The Spanish champion was beaten by Tommy Paul, with a resounding 6-1 in the third set and showing very mixed condition. Despite the usual physical problems, the former world number 1 still took great satisfaction from 2022.
The 36-year-old Manacor player has indeed won the Australian Open and Roland Garros, edging out Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the all-time Grand Slam rankings.
The Iberian also tried to win his third Wimbledon title, but a tear in his abdomen prevented him from playing in the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.
That injury conditioned his approach to the US Open, where he was knocked out in the second round by a raging Frances Tiafoe. Rafa will try to redeem himself at the ATP Finals in Turin, one of the very few tournaments he has never managed to win.
