The Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic near-two decade monopoly at the Italian Open is over - what now?
Could it be that the fresh, new era of young superstars taking over the spotlight in men’s tennis is finally upon us, right here, right now as the 2023 European clay-court swing enters its grand finale? It feels tantalisingly close after the near-two decade Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic monopoly of the Italian Open came to an end on Campo Centrale on Wednesday — but the true test of such a statement remains at the Grand Slams. Ad Over the past 10 years, many a starlet has been tipped to bring forward a changing of the guard and we’ve had a few false starts along the way, with the almost ageless trio of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic continually defying both them and Father Time by hogging the major trophies, and embarrassing know-all pundits in their very own GOAT race.
