'Roger Federer, Nadal, Djokovic will not dominate Slams in 2021', says former coach

With less than a month to go until the 2021 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will once again be the men to beat. The Serbian and Spaniard, who will train in Adelaide, will also participate in the second edition of the ATP Cup together with their respective national teams. The world number 1 is the big favorite to take his ninth title at Melbourne Park, where last year he was the protagonist of an unexpected comeback against Dominic Thiem in the final. The 34-year-old Majorcan, for his part, will try to use Roland Garros to seize his 21st Major and thus overtake his eternal rival Roger Federer. Numerous insiders instead hope that 2021 may be the right year for the definitive changing of the guard. Well-known consultant and former coach Mats Merkel is among those who believe Djokovic and Nadal will not make the big voice in major tournaments. According to the Adidas Sports Marketing employee, we will see a more diverse field of winners over the next twelve months.

Merkel on the Slams in 2021

"It will be a very interesting year," Mats Merkel said. "If all the four Grand Slams can be played regularly, I lean out the window and say that three of the four will not be won by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal." Dominic Thiem is widely considered the biggest challenger to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the moment, and Merkel thinks the same. "Dominic Thiem is the absolute showpiece model because he is constantly developing," Merkel said. "I am impressed by how he got out of the Corona era and won the US Open. It's a shame that he didn't end the year with a victory at the ATP Finals."  Merkel, who hails from Germany, also sees a lot of potential in Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. "Alexander Zverev has a lot of improvement areas, but great potential," Merkel said. "It starts with his serve. If he can get this under control and improve it, he will be able to position himself completely differently when it comes to the structuring of points. Stefanos Tsitsipas played rather average for his standards in 2020," the German said. "But I'm still excited about all the guys. For me there are also Felix Auger-Aliassime, Grigor Dimitrov and Denis Shapovalov. Dominic Thiem also has reserves for how he can improve. He knows that too. And I'm impressed how the guys keep sitting down and thinking over how they can get better."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38QeVHW