Atp finals, Tsitsipas beats Thiem in the final: he is the master of masters

Among the metopes of this modern Parthenon overlooking the Thames, the O2 Arena in London is almost ready to pass the baton in Turin (which since 2021 has promised to bring the prize money from 9 million dollars to 14.5), here is the electric beard Stefanos Tsitsipas son of Apostolos, Greek 21 year old, an Achille without Patroclus capable of hurling the poisoned arrow in the side of Dominik Thiem, the Austrian n veteran or Next Gen who after having beaten both Djokovic and Federer in the group seemed ready for the big jump. Atp Finals debutant like his rival, healthy bearer of a backhand that on the diagonal with Thiem produced a rare monomane final specimen, the hero of Athens slams the Master ballasted by a defeat that will horrify the purists (with Nadal), venial sin in exchange for what Tsitsipas promises for the future to sport: a complete and elegant tennis, classic in the most Greek sense of the term, ideal continuation of the white gestures of Roger Federer whose existence has already indissolubly linked him.

The master of masters, in fact, opened (Melbourne) and closed the season (London) surrendering to this successful prototype of potential heir, so polite as to have allowed him to conquer – Dubai, 2 March 2019 – the number 100 career title. Without Big Three (Roger starts today for the tour in South America, Nadal and the Djoker go to conquer the new Davis), with Edberg on the field to reward the winner thirty years after the title won in New York, the Atp Finals owe to the level of the show guaranteed by Tsitsipas and Thiem, more robotic than the Greek but equally generous, the success of an itinerant tournament (16 seats from 1970) and imperfect (too much algebra to understand who is advancing and who should go home), this year able to deliver to the archives match of uncanny intensity between those who dominated the Slams (Nadal and Djokovic, two each), who made the jump in decisive quality (Medvedev arrived soaked with fatigue, Thiem) and who is a candidate for the future, from the greek sure king of a Major maybe already in 2020 to Matteo Berrettini qualified last minute, flew to London to study at the University of masters. A final respectful of the beauty of the event, populated for so long by Thiem in the first set (8-6 at tie break) and too Tsitsipas in the second (6-2) and then again uncertain in the third, marred by Austrian errors in close final, four straight lines too wide or wide or long (7-4), until finally Stefanos was able to free the blonde hair and the intriguing smile, unleashing hordes of groupies. The most important title of his career comes a year after taking the Next Gen finals, on top of a season in which he marked the territory (Australian Open semifinal, victories in Marseille and Estoril) rather than plundering it, making up lost time on the social networks (it has a YouTube channel) to invest it in the field at the Academy of Patrick Mouratoglou, who now sits permanently in his box. The legend tells that the Greek god escaped death. He was a little boy, he played the tournament in Heraklion, and on the day of rest he went to take a bath: carried out by the current, he was saved by a whisker from the drowning by his father who saw him flounder from the beach. I thought I was dying, I saved myself. An experience that changed my mind, my whole life perspective was turned upside down: since then I have no fear whatsoever in the field. The Pelide reincarnated with wings on his feet and the racket in his quiver. Eye to the heel, for.