Sports
ATP Tour Finals without the ‘Big Three’ brings hope and frustration to tennis’ sandwich generation
TURIN, Italy — This is what they have been waiting for.
Some really good tennis players have congregated here in northern Italy for the ATP Tour Finals, the most exclusive men’s tournament in the sport. Only the best eight players available receive an invitation.
Novak Djokovic, the greatest player of his era, and maybe any era, isn’t here. He’s 37, a combination of injured and exhausted, and trying to save himself for next year’s Grand Slams.
For the generation of players born in the middle and late 1990s, Djokovic’s absence represents a void they have dreamed of for most of their careers. For the first time since 2001, no member of the sport’s Big Three (Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) is in the field for this event.
It is a harbinger that will before too long spread to the rest of the tennis calendar, removing the top layer of the sandwich that for years squeezed all those hot shots born in the years leading up to the 21st century out of Grand Slams and Masters 1000s. When Djokovic won the 2023 U.S. Open, he racked up the Big Three’s 66th title in 79 majors. They played each other so often in finals and semifinals that players born in the 1990s barely got the chance to lose in the late stages of tournaments, let alone imagine winning them.
“I think the mental coping that I was doing was, well, every time I was in the quarters I played Djokovic,” said Taylor Fritz, 27, at this year’s U.S. Open. Fritz would reach his first Grand Slam semifinal there, then his first final. He lost to Jannik Sinner, who, along with Carlos Alcaraz, is the avatar of how Djokovic and Nadal (who is retiring this month, at age 38, after the Davis Cup) have stuck around just long enough to complete their wreckage of the sandwich generation’s tennis lives.
Just when they thought the Big Three were going to stop hogging all the oxygen, a 19-year-old from Murcia and a 21-year-old from the Dolomites stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2022 and played five sets of computer-game tennis that left the 1990s group breathless once more. In the two years since that quarterfinal, Alcaraz and Sinner have won six majors between them and both spent time as world No. 1, a position the latter currently occupies.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have become used to holding trophies (Lintao Zhang / Getty Images)
Djokovic won the other majors. The sandwich squeezed once more.
“Those guys are I guess younger, but they have done better than, let’s say, the ’90s kids, whatever you or I want to call them,” Casper Ruud, 25, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, said in a news conference on Monday. Ruud lost to Alcaraz in the final of that fateful 2022 U.S. Open; Nadal and Djokovic annihilated him at Roland Garros in successive years.
“They have been, this year, almost in a league of their own.”
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This isn’t how tennis usually goes.
There was an interregnum between the Pete Sampras/Andre Agassi dominance of the 1990s and the emergence of Federer, and then Nadal and Djokovic. There was time for the Patrick Rafters and Marat Safins and Carlos Moyas and Juan Carlos Ferreros to get a slice of the limelight. Later, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka fought their way to major titles; Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic grabbed opportunities when they came.
There is unlikely to be another interregnum for some time, but there are slivers of that kind of light. Ruud registered his first win over Alcaraz in five attempts on Monday here, taking advantage of an under-the-weather opponent playing in his worst environment — indoors, on a fast court. After, he acknowledged that Alcaraz’s error-strewn match contributed mightily to his success as he tries to play more aggressively to rise to the heights that the Spaniard and Sinner have taken tennis.
“It’s not the nature of my game,” Ruud said. “I’m hesitating a little bit when I need to be too aggressive. But I’m trying.”
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better,” Samuel Beckett famously wrote.
That’s about what tennis has become for Ruud’s generation, which also includes Fritz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev, all of whom are here in Turin.
Andrey Rublev is among the group of players trying to step out of the shadow of the Big Three (Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images)
Some appear to be managing the process better than others.
Medvedev, the most successful member of the group, is in the midst of an intense struggle to find motivation. Mentally and physically exhausted, he has reached the end of his strings. “Every practice is a struggle, every match is a struggle,” the six-time Grand Slam finalist and 2021 U.S. Open champion said in a news conference on Sunday, after losing to Fritz in straight sets.
Not so long ago, Medvedev was blowing even Sinner away, racking up six straight wins with his beguiling defense and serve. Since then, a shoulder issue, changes in balls, and the Italian’s development have knocked him back. Alcaraz’s ability to dominate the front of the court has negated the deep return strategy that Medvedev used to put so many opponents out of joint.
Medvedev, 28, is a former world No. 1. Zverev, 27, is the current world No. 2 and has won this tournament twice, but he says he knows that he holds that position on the ATP computer alone.
Being at the top of their sport can make them feel like also-rans. Tennis will do that to you.
Zverev took on another leading member of the sandwich generation on Monday night in Rublev, who is 28 and is always teetering on the edge of another unpleasant incident of self-flagellation. He has bloodied himself multiple times in the past year. Like salt being rubbed into wounds, the match was delayed by about 20 minutes while the ATP awarded Sinner the trophy for finishing the year as the world No. 1.
There probably was no good time for the ceremony to happen. This Tour Finals is basically a sandwich generation convention. It was going to be awkward no matter what.
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Like Ruud and Fritz, Zverev has embraced the challenge of trying to match Alcaraz and Sinner, if not every week or every season, but at least during a single two-week stretch of seven matches when he can win a so-far elusive Grand Slam. He is an Olympic gold medalist but has said all the other tournaments he has won will ultimately mean nothing unless he ticks off one of the four majors.
To that end, Zverev has effectively let go of any results he might achieve this fall. Last month, he practised for an hour every day after his matches as he rolled to the title in the year’s last important big tournament, the Paris Masters.
He said he was happy with the outcome. He’d rather win than not. Who wouldn’t? But he remains focused almost singularly on improvement, and if that meant taking to the court in Paris on weary legs, so be it. The 2025 Australian Open was a little more than two months away then and is closer now; Zverev wants to be playing the kind of tennis the game demands by then.
Alexander Zverev remains in search of an elusive Grand Slam (Marco Bertorello / AFP via Getty Images)
Like Ruud, he believes he has to play more aggressively to have a chance to stay on the court with Sinner and Alcaraz.
“When they get an easy ball, when they’re in an attacking position, 90 percent of the time the point is over, whether it’s a winner or an unforced error,” he said. “That’s how hard they hit the ball, that’s how aggressive they are. I think in that aspect, I can improve. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
After the Sinner show, he did it very well yesterday against Rublev to win 6-4, 6-4, pushing into the court and practically throwing his racket at the ball nearly every time he got the chance to put away a point, even sometimes when the chances weren’t there.
None of this is to suggest that all hope is lost and that Sinner and Alcaraz will win everything important for a decade. That just doesn’t happen. As Ruud noted on Monday after his win, “They’re also human. I mean, they will lose matches, just not that many during a year.”
Sinner may yet be stopped by off-court forces greater than any player. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seeking a ban of one or two years in its appeal of his doping case, which it submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September.
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Earlier this year, Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Three tribunals convened by the tennis anti-doping authorities accepted his explanation that the substance inadvertently ended up in his system after his physiotherapist used it to treat a cut on his own finger, then gave Sinner a massage. WADA, too, accepts this explanation but believes he should bear some responsibility for the actions of his support team.
Until then, the players will have to keep trying to figure out how to topple him and Alcaraz on the tennis court.
Today (Tuesday), it’s Fritz’s turn, as he and Sinner will duel in a rematch of September’s U.S. Open final, in which Sinner won by doing what Fritz does, but doing it a bit better — and by tweaking his return position when his opponent gathered some momentum.
Fritz hasn’t been hanging around the top 10 since the late 20-teens, like his European peers. He’s only recently become a serious threat with a ticking clock, trying to max out his potential before it’s too late.
(Top photo: Nicolo Campo / LightRocket via Getty Images)
The New York Jets’ playoff hopes likely died in the Sonoran Desert. Owner Woody Johnson’s big swings — firing head coach Robert Saleh, replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich, trading for wide receiver Davante Adams — didn’t work.
Johnson envisioned this season ending in the land of milk and honey. Instead, the Jets are 3-7 after their latest embarrassing loss. Johnson might not even be around for the aftermath.
In the lead up to the Presidential election, there was an expectation around the Jets’ facility that, if Donald Trump won, Johnson would leave to join his administration, as he did in 2016 when Johnson was appointed the ambassador to the United Kingdom. During the 2024 campaign, Johnson made a handful of appearances on Fox News stumping for Trump, his friend, and hosted Trump in his box at the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night road game a couple weeks ago, which took place a day after a Trump rally in Latrobe, Pa. If Johnson is heading back to work for the White House, that news will likely drop in the coming weeks. Last time, Trump picked Johnson on Jan. 19, 2017, and Johnson was confirmed in June. He wouldn’t have to go through the confirmation process again if he’s appointed to the same position — ambassador to the U.K. — though Johnson would have to be confirmed if he was appointed to a different position.
Last time, Johnson’s brother, vice chairman Christopher Johnson, ran the franchise for three and a half years until Woody Johnson returned in 2021. Christopher Johnson wasn’t around the team much in 2022 or ’23, but was back into the fold in ’24, possibly in preparation to take over if his brother leaves again. And if Woody Johnson does leave, it would carry plenty of implications for the Jets’ immediate future, and beyond.
There’s a good chance the Jets will be looking for a new head coach and general manager this winter. Ulbrich, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, hasn’t shown enough to earn the full time job since replacing Saleh in the interim, especially since the defense has taken a step back. The Jets rank last in the NFL in defensive EPA since Ulbrich became interim head coach, as well as 25th in rushing defense, 26th in red-zone defense and 25th in scoring defense. In the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, they missed 20 tackles, per NextGen. As for general manager Joe Douglas, he’s felt like a dead man walking since Johnson started to enact his will without involving Douglas, who was not consulted before the decision to fire Saleh. Johnson also pushed for the Adams trade and to get Haason Reddick in the building with a restructured contract after a prolonged holdout.
“Woody and I talk every day,” Douglas said recently, sounding defeated. “I serve at the pleasure of the owner.”
Douglas is in the last year of a six-year contract and his best season record-wise — 7-9 in 2019 — came with a roster that he didn’t even build, hired in June that year after free agency and the NFL Draft. He’s never made the playoffs and has a worse career winning percentage as Jets GM than predecessors John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan.
Everyone in the league watched from afar as Johnson fired Saleh in Week 5 and took power away from Douglas. Then, they saw the results on the field. There will be interest if the jobs come open — there are only 32 NFL head coach and general manager positions, after all — but this isn’t exactly looking like an appealing organization for any prospective coach or GM. Candidates with options might think twice.
So that raises the question: How involved Woody Johnson will be when it comes to the next steps, which could also impact the Jets’ ability to lure quality candidates. He will most likely be involved in both searches (if Ulbrich and Douglas are gone), along with Christopher, before he joins Trump’s administration (if he does leave).
There’s also the question of how this impacts the future of Rodgers, who was supposed to be the franchise’s savior but instead looks like a shell of his former self. In the Cardinals loss he had 151 passing yards on 35 pass attempts, the second-fewest yards he’s ever had on 30 or more attempts in a single game.
Some in the organization wonder if, should the season continue down this path and Rodgers keeps playing the way he has, he might opt to retire. He’s turning 41 in December. There’s also the question of what coach would want to join a Rodgers-led team as his skills decline, considering all that comes with coaching Rodgers, from the off-the-field circus to the on-the-field control he demands.
Rodgers currently only carries a $23.5 million cap hit next year, but if he was cut or retired the Jets would incur a $49 million dead-cap charge. If the Jets declared him a post-June 1 cut (or retirement), they could split the $49 million hit over two seasons, with $14 million of it coming in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.
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There is still an avenue to Rodgers returning in 2025, though, and it actually starts with the Woody and Christopher Johnson dynamic. Rodgers has a close relationship with Christoper Johnson. When the Jets contingent (the Johnsons, Saleh, Douglas, Nathaniel Hackett and team president Hymie Elhai) visited Rodgers at his Malibu home last year to try and convince him to join their team, Christopher Johnson actually arrived first and spent time with the quarterback before the others arrived. Rodgers has a closer relationship with Christopher than with Woody, according to team sources, and some think Christopher Johnson’s presence might help convince Rodgers to stick around.
If Woody Johnson is making the calls, though, it wouldn’t be shocking if he wanted to move on from Rodgers considering the lack of success the team has had relative to expectations. After firing Saleh, Johnson called this Jets roster the most talented in his 25 years as owner.
Regardless of whether Rodgers returns, though, the roster will likely look a whole lot different in 2025. Some notable players set to become free agents: cornerback D.J. Reed, tight end Tyler Conklin, tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, defensive end Haason Reddick, linebacker Jamien Sherwood, safety Tony Adams, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Isaiah Oliver. The Jets will also have decisions to make on wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Star 2022 draft picks Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are eligible for extensions for the first time.
Christopher Johnson made some questionable decisions in his time running the team, namely hiring Adam Gase in 2019, and waiting until after free agency and the draft to fire Maccagnan later that year. But some around the team feel that Christopher Johnson learned a lot from his first go-around and that he’s more likely to allow whomever the Jets hire as general manager the autonomy to run the team without much interference. That’s less likely to be true if Woody Johnson remains in the building.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
After playing the Denver Broncos Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce noted something unusual about the Broncos’ cornerbacks.
“Who would’ve thought one of the best defenses in the league got a white corner?” Kelce said during a recent episode of “New Heights.”
Kelce was referring to Riley Moss, who is in his second season with the Broncos after being selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Peyton Hendershot (88) is tackled by Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images)
Moss, 24, became the first White cornerback to start in a game since 2002, when Jason Sehorn last did it for the New York Giants.
Moss has been a key part of a stout Broncos defense that is surrendering the fourth fewest points per game (17.7) in the league.
Moss appeared in 14 games as a rookie last season but didn’t start any. This season, Moss has started every game, recording 43 solo tackles with five passes defended and one interception.
Travis’ brother and podcast co-host, Jason Kelce, asked if Moss was a true outside cornerback and not a safety positioned as a cornerback in a certain defensive package.
“Yeah, 21 (Moss’ jersey number), starter. He hides it though. He wears long sleeves. He hides it, and I think he wears the turtleneck too,” Travis responded.
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Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) jumps on the sideline before the first half of a game against the Carolina Panthers Oct. 27, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
The Kelce brothers then cracked a few jokes about Moss wearing long sleeves.
“That’s smart, don’t let …,” Jason started before busting out laughing. “Don’t let them see the skin, don’t let them see the skin.”
“(Moss) hides it. Which one’s the White guy again? I can’t tell,” Jason said while laughing.
After getting some jokes in, Travis brought the conversation back down the earth, praising Moss.
“No man, seriously and honestly, that kid, he can play. Everybody over there, their safeties, I got covered by a linebacker for a play. They throw different looks at you,” Travis said.
The only other White cornerback in the NFL, Cooper DeJean, was Moss’s teammate at Iowa.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the first half against the Denver Broncos Nov. 10, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
The Philadelphia Eagles selected DeJean in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Travis scored the lone Chiefs touchdown in their 16-14 victory over Denver, catching eight passes for 64 yards in addition to the touchdown.
With their win, the Chiefs remain the NFL’s last unbeaten team but face a major test this week when they travel to take on the Buffalo Bills on the road in a heavyweight matchup.
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Michael Strahan says he wasn’t trying to make a statement when he stood without his hand over his heart while the national anthem played during a “Fox NFL Sunday” broadcast at Naval Base San Diego.
He simply got “caught up in the moment.”
The Hall of Fame defensive end and current TV personality offered that explanation about Sunday’s viral and controversial moment in a video posted to his Instagram account Tuesday night.
“Everyone thought, ‘He’s protesting. He’s making a statement,’ which is so far from the truth,” Strahan said. “I have nothing to protest. I have no statement to be made. The only statement that should be made that I want to make is I love the military, I’ve always loved the military and I will always love the military.
“I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the Army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military. I’m a military brat. And so the fact of somebody saying that, you know, I’m unpatriotic, couldn’t be any further from the truth.”
Fox took its NFL studio show on location to Pier 6 at the military base in honor of Veterans Day. Hundreds of sailors were on hand for the event, and each of them stood at attention during the national anthem. As the song played, the Fox cameras briefly showed Strahan and his fellow co-hosts.
While Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Rob Gronkowski placed their hands over their hearts, Strahan had his arms draped in front of him with one hand over the other.
“The truth is that I was caught up in the moment,” said Strahan, who was nominated for the NFL’s salute to service award in 2020. “I’m looking at all these young sailors standing there at attention before the national anthem played and I’m thinking to myself, ‘How incredible. How incredible to be that young and to know that you want to do this. It’s such a commitment, but you’re willing to commit to something that you know gives us our freedoms.’ Plain and simple. …
“By the time I looked up from that moment, all my Fox guys had their hands over their hearts, the national anthem’s playing. I somewhat panic and I’m like, ‘Do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after or do I just stand here with my hand in front of me respectfully?’ Which, that’s what I did. That’s what happened.
“And if that offended any of our military and veterans, I apologize to you because that was never my intent. I’m a product of the military, a proud lover of the military and a proud lover of all those who served before and now and will serve in the future.”
Strahan also addressed an incident from earlier in the day. According to the Daily Mail, one of its reporters approached Strahan outside his home and asked about the national anthem controversy. A video appears to show Strahan angrily shouting “Don’t come to my house!” multiple times. The newspaper also reports Strahan grabbed the reporter’s phone and tossed it in a bush before entering his home.
“It’s spilled over to the point where I get out of my car today and I’m ambushed by a media outlet here at my house,” Strahan said. “I’m not proud of the way I handled that whole situation, but I think anybody out there can understand the things you’re gonna do — you’re gonna protect your family and you’re gonna protect your home, which is what I felt like I needed to do in that moment.”
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