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.”
GO DEEPER
‘I don’t need the lights on me’: Casper Ruud steps out of the shadows in Turin
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.
GO DEEPER
Andrey Rublev: A tennis hothead desperately searching for peace
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.
GO DEEPER
Jannik Sinner’s doping case explained: What WADA appeal means and what is at stake for tennis
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)
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
DIVISION 1
Murrieta Mesa 10, Valley View 0
Orange Lutheran 10, Millikan 0
Chino Hills 2, El Modena 1
Etiwanda 14, Agoura 13
Palos Verdes 3, Riverside King 2
Cypress 4, Fullerton 2
Ayala 11, Charter Oak 1
Riverside Poly 7, California 3
Norco 2, Marina 1
DIVISION 3
Rancho Cucamonga 9, Paloma Valley 1
Great Oak 5, West Torrance 2
Edison 8, El Segundo 5
El Toro 9, Colton 0
Murrieta Valley 9, Redondo Union 8
North Torrance 5, Beaumont 0
West Ranch 7, Trabuco Hills 6
San Juan Hills 8, Riverside North 7
Oak Park 10, Cerritos Valley Christian 4
Highland 7, Northview 2
La Serna 4, Carter 0
Dos Pueblos 5, Crescenta Valley 0
Liberty 10, Arcadia 3
DIVISION 5
Anaheim 11, Flintridge Sacred Heart 0
Patriot 11, Arrowhead Christian 9
Temple City 9, Rancho Christian 6
Grace 11, Buena Park 0
Crean Lutheran 3, Alemany 2
Shadow Hills 8, Cerritos 3
San Marcos 10, Leuzinger 0
South El Monte 7, Long Beach Wilson 5
Covina 11, Garden Grove Santiago 1
Muir 8, Rio Hondo Prep 7
Santa Monica 6, Katella 5
Ontario 6, Norwalk 2
Northwood 18, Duarte 11
DIVISION 7
Bloomington 9, Fillmore 8
Miller 11, Savanna 3
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 11, Riverside Springs Magnolia 4
Faith Baptist 18, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 4
Twentynine Palms 16, Rancho Alamitos 15
Riverside Notre Dame 12, Costa Mesa 2
Firebaugh 9, Pioneer 8
Chadwick 6, Desert Christian Academy 1
Cathedral City 2, Artesia 1
Orange 9, Bellflower 3
Santa Ana 10, Hawthorne 0
Culver City 9, Temecula Prep 8
DIVISION 8
Banning 20, Redlands Adventist 3
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
SECOND ROUND
DIVISION 1
La Habra at Murrieta Mesa, noon
Chino Hills at Orange Lutheran
Etiwanda at Westlake
La Mirada at Palos Verdes, noon
Garden Grove Pacifica at Cypress, noon
Ayala at JSerra
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Oaks Christian, 1 p.m.
Norco at Riverside Poly
DIVISION 2
Bonita at Ganesha, 11 a.m.
Whittier Christian at Warren
Simi Valley at St. Paul
Moorpark at Lakewood St. Joseph, 11 a.m.
Temescal Canyon at San Clemente, 12:30 p.m.
Huntington Beach at Camarillo, Monday
Saugus at Vista Murrieta, 12:30 p.m.
Mater Dei at Gahr, noon
DIVISION 3
Great Oak at Rancho Cucamonga
Edison at El Toro, Monday
Murrieta Valley at North Torrance
West Ranch at San Juan Hills
Riverside Prep at Oak Park, 12:30 p.m.
La Serna at Highland
Dos Pueblos at La Salle, Monday
Villa Park at Liberty, 1 p.m.
DIVISION 4
St. Bonaventure at Harvard-Westlake, 11 a.m.
Apple Valley at Oxnard
Don Lugo at Monrovia, 1:30 p.m.
La Quinta at Mira Costa
Rio Mesa at Mission Viejo, 10 a.m.
Oak Hills at Sunny Hills
Ramona at Paramount
Burbank Burroughs at Rosary, Monday
DIVISION 5
Anaheim vs. Santa Clara at Beck Park
Temple City at Patriot
Crean Lutheran at Grace
Viewpoint at Shadow Hills
San Marcos at Irvine University, noon
South El Monte at Covina
Santa Monica at Muir, 10:30 a.m.
Northwood at Ontario, 1 p.m.
DIVISION 6
Irvine at Lakeside
Alhambra at Heritage
Eastside at Granite Hills, noon
El Monte at St. Genevieve
Sierra Vista vs. Southlands Christian at Brea Canyon Cutoff Rd
Hesperia Christian vs. St. Monica Prep at Memorial Park, 2 p.m.
Arroyo at Lancaster
San Jacinto at Jurupa Valley
DIVISION 7
Bloomington at Ramona Convent
Miller at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Faith Baptist at Twentynine Palms, Monday
Firebaugh vs. Riverside Notre Dame at Ramona
Chadwick at Cathedral City
Orange at Victor Valley, 11 a.m.
Santa Ana at Culver City, Monday
Windward at Edgewood, Monday at 3:30 p.m.
DIVISION 8
ACE at Avalon
Bolsa Grande vs. San Bernardino, Monday at San Bernardino College
Workman at Glendale
Cobalt at Santa Rosa Academy
Bell Gardens vs. Brentwood at John Anson Ford Park
Pomona Catholic vs. Capistrano Valley Christian at Laguna Hills, 2 p.m.
Fontana at Banning
Hawthorne MSA at Arroyo Valley, 1 p.m.
Note: Quarterfinals May 20; Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
GARRICK HIGGO SHARES BAFFLING COMMENTS WHILE REACTING TO TWO-SHOT PENALTY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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