ATP’s dedication to elitism and Sinner-Alcaraz sizzler
View(s):Building up appealing and revealing new frontiers of tennis is the goal of good ATP Open events. In 2025, yet another time, they have excelled. Yearend final in Turin, Italy was ever so appealing. In spectatorship, it was the best tennis could offer.
Qualifying finalist, the Top 8 came through ATP global ranking, playing 11 months of events travelling at least four times round the globe. Of the challenges, this must be the most tormenting to a player. Coaches will have setup training and practice in every location, a high-end management.
Turin had matches Group and Knockout feed-in design, global enthusiasts lost good few nights sleep, tennis were worthy of it.
The final
The final, Jannick Sinner, an Italian, edged out Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in two sets. It was a match where difference in players did not exist. They are the number one and two of the ATP ranking. Good friends, but the match they played for prestige and money showed no sign of friendship but fiery battle spirit to the last point. One of the best tennis the world has witnessed.
Their game, from all court and out of the positioning, stroke making, speed and tactics are rare occurrences, appealing and perfect. I can almost say they rewrote the challenge of tennis for years to come. Tennis development road can never be the same as we had it for past half of a century.
Ever changing tactical show
ATP did not arrive to this perfection by chance. Envisaging the anatomy of such a final, we will have to go back in time of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg era. Those were the early days of ATP. Borg played double-handed backhand, then a novelty, today it is the norm. Connors lethally powered strokes and McEnroe’s touch game caught on like wild fire in all junior aspirants of that era.
First of our strained memory of ATP players will be that of Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. From then of ATP got down to the design to sustain global fans interest. ATP brought down barriers political, cultural and traditions, to make the 175-year-old tennis thrive even in remote corners of the earth. Their goal to present best possible rivalry of tennis – now they could say mission accomplished.
Rivalry in ATP
Rivalry is ATP engine. Here are the interesting tennis rivalry that kept good few generations to be with tennis; it fed into player development process in methodology and coaching.
The 1970s saw Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe with wooden racquets fighting it out. Then came the Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Andre Agassi triangle. With Lendl at their heels. Wooden racquets abandoned for aeronautical material and designed racquets.
ATP saw through the ‘Time-scope’ designed New-Gen a geniality unknown in sports. Tennis demands maturity, there was none available that resulted in generations of talent vanished without contributing to tennis.
This provided tennis with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and Co era. A raging bull ‘Toro of Spain’ and graceful Alpine ballet of Roger Federer, was what one critics predicted it would lasted nearly for a decade; it did. One of the longest spell of rivalry in tennis.
Academy tennis
At this point, which was the early part of this century, ATP saw their aging elites are no more of appeal in the sporting world and as such tennis enthusiasm waning. It was in this background ATP’s thinking came up with New-Gen idea. They got the best under the age of 23 brushing shoulders with the elites. In their geniality of design, they processed the New-Gen within their open tennis, the ATP Tour. Presto! It was the ATP’s need. Young and energetic from private stables of Europe, north and South America by the dozens appeared and still thrilling the world.
True Nick Bollettiery had an academy and few others elsewhere. Their recruitment were traditional junior age based and additionally US College tennis. ATP raised selection base for New-Gen to 23 years from that of 18 in junior tennis. Now we see the wisdom of that move.
Tennis an individual sport need mental maturity and personality to perform alone. Players stand on their own with skill and personality, for hours at a time. For this, player’s character is a big factor in the equation. New-Gen design has it.
What happened to JD?
Often the question of that time and now is why Junior Development (JD) at all. Globally there are hundreds of JD programmes and they are ITF London realm. Leading tennis nations do not have this. In the open era, JD failed to be the feed-in channel to fill the professional ranks. This low-level ITF development path is ineffective. Globally JD is nowhere close to professional open tennis needs. One of the accusation levelled is, ITF went for numbers with equipment production lobby. A possibility, after all, in most countries JD is huge and professional does not exist.
One of our good player’s sibling, came through Stanford University in USA successfully was a tennis player. After graduation, she has taken up tennis coaching. Why? It is a USD 200 an-hour job. In defining present day tennis, we have global professionals, national elite, social tennis and pop junior tennis. Her road is one available. She is U.R. Perera’s granddaughter.
Present elites, best ever
To me the eight who played in Turin were the best eight in tennis for long time. They were tired, the event was designed to accommodate the best, none of them had any weaknesses, the system that developed these players are going roll out more in likes of these. Happy days are coming!
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; player development German Federation, National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup, ATP and WTA tour coach; WhatsApp +94775448880–