It still seems early (or not?) to raise the alarms and talk about the beginning of the end or an inevitable decline, but it is, unquestionably, a disappointing start to the year for Djokovic. In addition to losing his reign in Melbourne, he said goodbye to Indian Wells with a defeat to Luca Nardi, number 123 in the world, even before the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Sinner and Alcaraz, the main exponents of the new generation and champions of two of the last three slams, reached the round of 16 without any major problems. There is still a lot of tennis to be played in Indian Wells – and, obviously, if one of the two lifts the trophy they will be taking an important step towards the top of the rankings – but the Miami Masters suddenly becomes much more relevant for the Djokovic’s intentions.
Things I think I think:
– It’s a small sample – just tournaments – but significant. Until now, the Djokovic of 2024 has been a tennis player who, when he tried to be aggressive, proved imprecise and gave away many free points. Apart from the atypical meeting with Mannarino in Melbourne, Nole had been making up for it with his legs, but even that wasn’t enough for him against Nardi in Indian Wells. More needs to be done.
– Sinner has been impressing. Not only because of the big victories after a slam title – which seems to reflect an impressive combination of maturity and ambition – but because of the serenity of his statements and how much he reinforces the work that still needs to be done. Champion mentality.
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