Tursunov talked about new trends in men’s tennis

Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov told Metaratings.ru what is the difference between modern men’s tennis and what it was during his playing career.

– You said that you watch men’s tennis a bit, but at the current tournament you still devote time to individual matches. And what trends, as a specialist in men’s tennis, could you highlight today? Did you catch yourself thinking that something has changed?

— There are no specific changes. I would say that, to some extent, the game moves faster. I can’t back it up with numbers, but it feels like everyone is in better physical shape. Surprisingly, there are quite a few young guys playing well. It seems to me that a lot of guys get into good physical shape very early on.

Take the same Alcaraz or Rune: looking at them, it is impossible to tell that they are 18-19 years old. They hit peak form early, so the physical component is already ready for them. Yes, they can improve it, but at 18, having such a physique is a huge plus. Even with gaps in experience, in tactics, they can fill them with physical training. I don’t remember that in my time, except for Rafa Nadal, there were 18-year-old guys who got to this form so early.

– That is to say that tennis, roughly speaking, is getting younger?

“I don’t know how much younger he is in general. Maybe two of these guys just arrived. When I played, they finished at 34, the generation before me – at 30. Now that tennis has advanced, guys can play until 36-37 years old, and someone even until 40 years old. And it looks like Novak can play until 42-45 if he really needs to. There is certainly a change in this regard.

And I can’t say half the tour is 18 year old guys. There are not a lot. But I didn’t get into those things. That’s what caught my attention.

At the end of the Australian Open, the 35-year-old Serbian Novak Djokovic won.