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For the second year in a row, a player from the NextGen triumphed at the ATP Finals. If it was Alexander Zverev in 2018, who mastered none other than Novak Djokovic in the final, then this time it was the 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas who couldn't have envisaged a better debut at the year-ending gala.
The Greek emulated Grigor Dimitrov's record as the only other man to win the title in his first time appearance. With the maturity and staunch determination that he showed during the entire week at London, it won't be a surprise to see him challenging for the biggest titles in the sport next year and ending the hegemony of the Big 3 at the Slams.
What stood out was how he refused to panic or get frustrated even when things did not go his way. The youngster, who self-admittedly started meditating since his loss in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors last month, was a picture of calm and looked absolutely unruffled even under pressure. It is this quality of him that helped him become the youngest ATP Finals winner since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
His praiseworthy accomplishment simply put him in the pantheon of greats, which has the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray to name a few. Tsitsipas' immense talent was evident many months ago when he managed to topple the Swiss maestro in the fourth round of the Australian Open this year.
Since that breakthrough performance at a Major, that saw him finishing his campaign in the semi-finals at the tender age of 20, Tsitsipas had been steadily climbing the higher echelons of the sport.
He did taste success at ATP 250 events in Marseille and Estoril, but stumbled at the bigger level finals at the Madrid Masters, and ATP 500 tournaments in Dubai and Beijing. Despite his inability to crack them, he left an indelible mark on the Tour with his eye-catching upset wins over not just Federer but also over Rafael Nadal at Madrid and Djokovic at Shanghai.
His fearlessness at the elite level did not go unnoticed and the consistency propelled him to a career-high No. 5 position in the world rankings and eventually gifted him a place among the best eight men at the ATP Finals.
Tsitsipas came to the English capital with the right attitude to prove his worth. It was obvious from his very first match against the US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev, who had emerged victorious in each of their five previous showdowns.
The Russian had beaten the Greek as recently as the Shanghai Masters semi-finals but Tsitsipas made it clear that he won't be intimidated this time. A stirring 7-6(5), 6-4 win over the Cincinnati and Shanghai Masters champion started off his challenge on a thunderous note and set the tone for the rest of the week.
The fact that Tsitsipas has finally solved the Medvedev puzzle made tennis aficionados sit up and take notice. It was indeed the beginning of something special and Tsitsipas vindicated that with his blazing 6-3, 6-2 win over the-then defending champion Zverev.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal finally proved to be the obstacle for the Tsitsipas juggernaut but with the heroic effort that he produced against the 19-time Grand Slam champion, the World No. 6 simply gained more admirers.
Tsitsipas brought his relentless aggression against the Spanish southpaw to edge him in the tie-break in a tight first set. Even though Nadal hit back in the second, the decider went on to become brutal with both refusing to give the other any room. What ensued was one phenomenal set of tennis that left the fans awestruck.
Nadal brought in his vast experience to thwart his young opponent, inflicting on him a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 blow after 2 hours 52 minutes of jaw-dropping stuff. It, however, did little to make a dent in Tsitsipas' confidence level as by that time he had already qualified for the semi-finals from his group.
That match was significant for it went on to remain as the only time the Athens-born player suffered a defeat at the ATP Finals.
Even the 20-time Major winner Federer could not succeed in shaking him off in the semi-finals. In a much-anticipated battle between the master and the disciple, Federer struggled to find his game in the face of the onslaught from his opponent, 17 years his junior.
The sprightly Greek's unwavering focus didn't allow Federer to take charge at all. The Swiss legend squandered 11 out of the 12 break point opportunities he got and even on the only occasion he managed to penetrate the Greek's serve, the joy was short-lived for Tsitsipas came roaring back. A 6-3, 6-4 victory presented Tsitsipas a priceless chance to fight for the highly-coveted season-ending championships trophy against the in-form Dominic Thiem.
The Austrian was, by all means, a player that had set the ATP Finals 2019 on fire with his huge wins over both Federer and Djokovic in the round robin stages. Starting out predominantly as a claycourter, the two-time Roland Garros runner-up had transformed himself this year into a versatile all-rounder with his dominance on hardcourts. His title wins at the Indian Wells Masters, Beijing and Vienna bear testament to that.
Moreover, the-then World No. 5 boasted of a 4-2 head-to-head record over the Greek, having beaten Tsitsipas in three sets in their very last meeting at the China Open final.
The 26-year-old was definitely the favourite in this clash with Tsitsipas being the challenger. But the latter brought out his fluent attacking tennis right from the word go to announce himself as an equally worthy contender for the crown.
With his speed and athleticism, he kept covering every inch of the court. If his flat forehands whizzed past Thiem, then his beautiful backhands left the spectators at the O2 Arena spellbound. In spite of all his attempts to put Thiem away in the first set, he failed in the test for the Austrian displayed fantastic mental fortitude to stave off a litany of break points and win the tie-break.
If anybody assumed Tsitsipas would feel demoralized after that setback, then they were in for a surprise. The loss of the first set only emboldened the Greek further and he refused to hold back. In an absolute stunner of a second set, Tsitsipas just cantered through at the expense of only two games.
The momentum remained on the Greek's side even in the initial stages of the decider as he earned a quick break of serve. The match was far from over as Thiem came storming back into the set to level it up. It was the sternest test possible for the young Tsitsipas as the set headed to the final tie-break of the match. His equanimity and unbreakable mental toughness shone through in that tense situation as he held on to win 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-6(4) and lay his hands on the biggest trophy yet of his career.
From being crowned the NextGen Finals champion in 2018 to becoming the last man standing at a tournament where the crème de la crème of men's tennis assemble, it has been a remarkable journey for the 21-year-old.
Through his exceptional poise and unquenchable thirst for excellence, he has demonstrated time and again he is here to stay. Tsitsipas has all the qualities to reach the pinnacle of the tennis world and is primed to rule the sport once the Big 3 depart. This just may be the start of that long road to the top.
