"Nadal and Djokovic, I think they have two seasons left" - Paris Masters tournament director on the ascendancy of Next Gen players
Cedric Pioline, the tournament director of the Paris Masters, reflected on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's time on the tour and the rise of the next generation of ATP players.
Teen sensation Holger Rune lifted the 2022 Paris Masters title after beating the Serbian 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, while Nadal was shown the exit by Tommy Paul in the former’s first match of the event. Speaking at a press conference on the final day of the tournament, Pioline was asked about his pick for the most impressive player in the current generation, to which he chose Rune and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
"Among the new generation, well, it's easy to say Rune, because he qualified for the final, and he actually defeated top-10 players. Felix, as well. He's had a wonderful run. Both stand out," Pioline said.
The former tennis player further stated that there are three different generations right now on the tour, with Nadal and Djokovic as the last ones of the older generation. He also added that the next generation belongs to the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Dominic Thiem, if at all the latter regains his old form.
"So we have three generations playing at once right now. We have the last ones with Nadal, Djokovic mainly. Tsitsipas, Zverev, unfortunately he couldn't play today, we know why. We also have Medvedev. Thiem, will he come back? That's the big question," Pioline said.
Further elaborating on his point, Pioline named Carlos Alcaraz, Rune and Auger-Aliassime as the likely choices to spearhead the current generation of players. He further opined that Nadal and Djokovic have just a couple more seasons left till they hang up their tennis boots and pass on the torch to the new leaders.
"And now we have the others, Alcaraz, Rune, Auger-Aliassime, and others. And we already see that the two that won in the intermediary generations are Thiem and Medvedev, and then we have Alcaraz winning. So it's very interesting, very exciting what's happening. Nadal and Djokovic, I think they have two seasons left," Pioline added.
"They are very complete players for 19-year-olds" - Novak Djokovic on the emergence of teen stars Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune
21-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic showered praise on teen sensations Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune. In the post-match press conference, the Serb was asked about the differences between the two youngsters, to which he replied by saying that both of them have similar qualities when it comes to physicality and defense.
"Well, they are similar in terms of physicality. I think they are both really fit. They train very hard. They are very dedicated guys. They defend, both of them, extremely well," the Serb said.
The former World No. 1 further added that both players are "very complete" despite their young age and marveled at how "impressive" they are mentally as well.
They are very complete players for 19-year-olds. It's quite impressive. Also their energy on the court, just wanting, motivating themselves and wanting to do well and staying mentally present, it's impressive," he added.