The kids are coming. Clearly not to the extent that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are threatened at the top of the rankings, but they’re coming. Perhaps not in a way that something other than a rematch of the epic Nadal-Federer 2008 Wimbledon final will put the exclamation point on this fortnight at the All-England Club, but they’re coming.
While the top two players in the world are quietly going about their business at 32 and 36 years old with a combined five straight-set beatdowns to their credit so far during this tournament, part of the story so far in SW19 are the youngsters.
Among those having already punched their tickets to the prestigious second Monday are Mackenzie McDonald and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
At 23, McDonald isn’t one of the tours youngest competitors. But he is “young” by current tennis standards and he is also green on the scene. A former college star at UCLA, McDonald did not have a single ATP-level win under his belt heading into 2018. He picked up three prior to arriving at the All-England Club and he has suddenly doubled that total to six with an out-of-nowhere trip to the second week. McDonald ended Guido Pella’s run with a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(6) victory on Friday afternoon. Pella had scored off a five-set stunner over No. 3 seed and 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic one day earlier, but he was no match for the American.
Tsitsipas was already a household name in tennis circles prior to this fortnight. But he may be taking both his game and his notoriety to a whole new level, as he is through to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career at just 19 years old. He was already the first Greek man to reach round three of a major since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos at Wimbledon 49 years ago and he became the first Greek man to reach round four of a major when he pummeled Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 on Friday.
“It’s an amazing feeling, and I feel very proud that I represent Greece and that all of my hard work has paid off,” Tsitsipas said. “There is so much satisfaction. It’s just such a nice feeling to be the first from your country to do (it)…it’s amazing.”
The world No. 35 had previously outlasted fellow up-and-comer Jared Donaldson 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round.
Donaldson’s future may be as bright as that of Tsitsipas, but for now it is a different young American who is still alive in London along with McDonald. Frances Tiafoe has scraped past veterans Fernando Verdasco and Julien Benneteau, and he will continue his fortnight against Karen Khachanov on Saturday.
Nadal’s next opponent, meanwhile, is 19-year-old Australian Alex De Minaur.
Yes, it’s safe to say the youngsters are coming. But Nadal–and Federer–may have something to say about just how fast.
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