Google News Roger Federer's ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic addresses generational change in men's game
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 3634
Coach Ivan Ljubicic says the generational change in the men's game is definitely underway but noted the process hasn't yet been completed. Ljubicic, who started working with Federer in 2016, worked with the Swiss up until the Swiss' retirement in 2022.
On Thursday, Nadal revealed his plans to retire in 2024 while 36-year-old Djokovic is also getting closer to calling it a career. Over the last year, some new faces have made a name for themselves and created new interesting rivalries - most notably, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner.
"That's it. Novak had a hard time this year in Rome, Rafa didn't come and has trouble coming back, Roger has already said goodbye. Obviously, the generational change is one step away, but for the complete change I would wait a little longer," Ljubicic told Gazzetta dello Sport, as revealed on Punto de Break.
Ljubicic on Sinner's Rome Masters campaign
In the first three Masters tournaments of the season, Sinner finished as runner-up in Miami while he was a semifinalist in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo. After three strong Masters runs, Sinner came to Rome hoping to lift his first Masters title in front of his home fans.
Also, the Italian tennis community expected Sinner to make a splash at Foro Italico. But Sinner failed to deliver a strong run as the Italian suffered a shock Rome round-of-16 loss to Francisco Cerundolo. “We can't talk about failure, but it's natural that we all expected a little more from Jannik.
Musetti lost against a strong player like Tsitsipas. It is often very difficult for young people to play at home. There is that extra pressure that becomes a disadvantage. As they grow and mature, they will be able to use that factor to their advantage, but it takes experience, a lot of patience. There are many Italian players who have the opportunity to do well," Ljubicic said.
