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INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
via Getty
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Over the years, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been at the pinnacle of men’s tennis. Because of the dominance that Rafa and Federer have asserted on the tour, they’ve been ever present at the year-end ATP Finals tournament. Federer also holds the record for most triumphs in that event, winning it 6-times.
Recently, a former Swiss tennis player Marc Rosset was highlighting the importance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The ATP Finals 2021 is beginning in the coming week. However, the two legends are not part of it and the tournament is poorer for it according to Rosset.
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ATP Finals 2020 will miss Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Marc felt that the 2021 event in Turin does not have the same appeal as the previous versions in London’s O2 Arena. He was also critical of the line-up of players competing in this year’s edition. People are missing the likes of Federer and Nadal.
The former Swiss star stated, “People want to see legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, or Stan Wawrinka at the Masters, not guys who have secured their place by playing a myriad of ATP 250s. To be honest, I don’t remember a less attractive edition of the ATP Finals than the one we are about to experience.”
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via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev congratulates Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on winning the final match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Amongst the players competing this year, only Djokovic and Medvedev are Grand Slam winners. He felt that there are certain players who have come so far but have not dominated the big events to book their place in the final eight.
The Olympic gold medalist added, “Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are the only Slam winners present in Turin. I don’t want to disrespect Hurkacz, Ruud, or Rublev, but they still achieved too little in major tournaments. Zverev can no longer postpone the appointment with the success in a Grand Slam and the same goes for Tsitsipas. This would give more credit to the event next year.”
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While it’s certainly disappointing to witness the event without Federer and Nadal, it’s perhaps a sign of the coming times where the ageing superstars might feature less and less. Who do you think will conquer Turin in 2021?
Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club
