The ATP Next Generation Finals They are an economic and exposure incentive for the best eight players under 22 years of age, as well as an opportunity to learn to deal with media pressure and a watershed in the careers of many of them, because to maintain their results, they end up breaking in years later. among the best 25 of the circuit, specialists analyze.
Ayrton Aguirre, editor at the web portal Break Point considers that in the sports field, although this tournament is a tool for players like Carlos Alcaraz to stay active in the face of the Davis Cup, It is not such a relevant event, since it involves up to 5 matches that last no more than an hour, however, it is an exhibition platform so that tennis players can show themselves “as one of the great figures, to have possible agreements with future brands. In that sense, in the sporting sphere, it seems to me that it is not relevant, although it is in the economic sphere ”.
Simply for participating, players receive a prize of over $ 80,000 and for each win in round robin is 24,000 more; Winning the semi-final and the final pays 109,000 and 141,000 respectively. Being a cumulative prize, an undefeated champion would pocket more than $ 403,000, that is, more than a champion takes in any of the tournaments Masters 1000 (excepto Indian Wells y Cincinnati), Novack Djokovic made just under $ 390,000 with his latest victory at the Paris Masters 1000. This “for the career of a boy who is just beginning, is quite important,” said Aguirre.
The Spanish Alcaraz is the main favorite to win this year, he is the youngest (18 years) and the best ranked (32). Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil is one of the three tennis players in this edition who has a title ATP In his record, that of Umag category 250, in addition, he reached the quarterfinals of the US Open and he has defeated three top 10, which gives him a great projection for the next few years to be competing for the top positions in the ranking.
“Ferrero is providing him with important information, he is correcting some fine details of his game and also, being a man very experienced in elite tennis, he gives Carlos the experiences of playing at this level, to concentrate and know the importance of be playing with the best in the world. (…) I think that Ferrero has been a very important advantage for Carlos to take it to the next level ”, said Javier Trejo Garay, commentator at ESPN.
On Break PointAguirre points out that 13 of the 21 tennis players who have gone through the Next Generation Finals have established themselves among the best 25 players in the ranking. While the ATP website explains that six of the current top 10 contested the event, Daniil Medvedev (No. 2), Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 4) and Andrey Rublev (No. 5) are among the best five in the world.
What did players like Tsitsipas, Medvedev O Rublev to finish consolidating in the circuit?
“You can have a great performance but then you have to endorse it on the court, in tournaments, where this is really played. Progress is constant for all and that this tournament is a platform for several, to show themselves as is the case with Sebartián Báez and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. It is a constant, a place that shows the performance of how it was in a year, to be there for the best Under-21s and all those who are there have a promising future ”.
The tournament was created in 2017, but it will only be in its fourth edition (it was canceled in 2020) that Latin American players will be present: Juan Manuel Cerúndolo and Sebastián Báez, the two Argentines started the year outside the top 300 and today they are number 91 and 111 in the ranking, respectively. These players entered the competition due to the casualties of Felix Auger-Aliassime, who decided to continue scoring points at the ATP 250 in Stockholm, and Jenson Brooksby, due to an abdominal injury.
“(For Cerúndolo and Báez) it is going to serve them a lot, not only because the demand increases, but also because beyond the sporting level, an event of this caliber ends up giving you experience in the field of handling pressure or media attention. Playing with the best in the world opens the doors for them to continue growing and developing their tennis because they still have a very high ceiling and being in a showcase like this allows them to take a leap in quality ”, said Trejo Garay.
Cerúndulo and Báez are a sample of the work that Argentina has been doing in favor of tennis. Former tennis player Horacio de la Peña helped introduce a Challenger and Futures tournament circuit in the South American region, this “allows players not to have to travel abroad to compete several weeks a year, show themselves and score important points; when several high-level European tennis players don’t come, the points stay ‘at home’ and growth is much faster, ”explained Ayrton Aguirre.
To take his career to the next level, Trejo points out that the support that the players can receive is essential, providing them with the necessary tools, such as multidisciplinary teams, “so that these types of tournaments serve as a base and not as a goal”, and that They can continue to open doors while maintaining their professionalism and increasing demands.
“I see the future of Latin American tennis quite well, not only for these players, but also for other boys, both Argentine and South American, who have been hitting hard and young. Undoubtedly, these two, and from what I have seen so far also the Brazilian Matheus Pucinelli, who seems to me a great player, are the ones who are going to be higher up, I see us well represented ”, shared the editor of Punto de Break.
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx