‘It’s in good hands’ – Marin Cilic tips three players to carry men’s tennis into bright future
Marin Cilic believes that the future of tennis is in ‘good hands’ as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer approach the end of their careers.
Those three players have dominated the tennis landscape for a generation, with only Andy Murray consistently able to compete with them.
However, while Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer once again finished the season with all four Grand Slams and the top three positions in the rankings, Cilic says the younger players have proven they have what it takes to carry the sport into the future.
“For me, the end of the season is one of the most interesting parts during the year,” Cilic for a Brazilian publication, as quoted by Tennis World.
“Grand Slams ended since a long time. The end of the year is interesting to see what can happen in the following season.
“This year in Paris, Denis Shapovalov and Grigor Dimitrov did great. Denis is a consistent threat on the court.
“With his maiden career-title and Paris final, he wants to come back stronger.
“In London, at the ATP Finals, we got a very clear message: the future of tennis is in good hands.
“After Rafa clinched his year-end number one rankings spot above Novak Djokovic, the younger guys took the main stage at the O2 Arena.
“In the final, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas fought like veterans and the Greek conquered his biggest career title.
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“Tsitsipas will have an interesting 2020 year, without a doubt.”
Cilic has also tipped Grigor Dimitrov to bounce back in 2020 and reassert himself at the top following a two-year decline since winning the ATP Finals in 2017.
“Grigor had ups and downs,” added Cilic, “but in the US Open and in Paris he got significant wins to show everyone what he is capable of.”
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