NextGen Finals: What remains - except for the towel rails?
Today the #NextGen Finals started in Milan. The innovations tested there have not yet really gained a foothold on the ATP tour, with one exception.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Nov 09, 2021, 03:50 pm

Brandon Nakashima and Juan Manuel Cerundolo opened the #NextGen Finals for the best young players at the ATP on Tuesday in Milan. Unsurprisingly, the American was able to prevail, Nakashima feels much more comfortable on a hall floor than the Argentine left-hander, who is at home on the ashes. Despite some cancellations, the tournament is well attended, especially Carlos Alcaraz, Sebastian Korda and Holger Rune have provided a lot of joy in the past few months, but local hero Lorenzo Musetti and the French Schnibbelkönig Hugo Gaston are also responsible for the fine blade.
The event for the best U-21 players on the ATP tour can be described as established, but the rules implemented in Milan are not yet suitable as a test laboratory for the “big” tour. Good: The fact that only single lines are played cannot be carried over to regular events, where a double tableau is always played. At least that happened at the ATP Finals in the 1990s - at that time, for example in Hanover, single and double masters were still separate.
Why not experiment with small tournaments?
Sentences up to four? No ATP tournament has dared to go there either. The short form may bring increased tension for the audience, but primarily increased stress for the players: Because an early break can actually no longer be made up for. Nevertheless, the question should be allowed, why not experimenting with the 250 events from time to time: Group games with sets of up to four - why not? And with no-ad, as is now established in doubles? Nakashima said after his win against Cerundolo that he had to be prepared for it, but that he was okay with it.
The fact that there is still a repetition when a service has touched the net is apparently immovable. You could also try a field test here on the regular tour - the traditional rule does not affect that many points. One argument for adapting the set of rules: the time savings.
Lots of discretion with the shot clock
Speaking of which: the shot clock and a prescribed time for importing were also initially tested in Milan. The shot clock in particular is basically a matter of interpretation by the referee - as last seen in Vienna using the example of Renaud Lichtenstein. The renowned French umpire first advertised the score in German and a few seconds later in English. And the music box only started after the international announcement of the score.
However, a change has become commonplace, if only because of the corona pandemic. The # NextGen finals were the first tournament in recent history in which the players had to get their towels themselves (which was not approved by Stefanos Tsitsipas ). This is now common practice. And hopefully it will stay that way.