And finally, a 90s champion in New York

Everything tasted strange at this US Open, saved in the middle of a pandemic.

The stands without an audience, the masks, the social distance.

The tennis players do not shake hands at the end of the game, but clash rackets.

And

and

, women's doubles champions, asked the chair umpire for permission to celebrate the title with a hug.

It tasted different from the beginning.

They were missing

, who will not compete until 2021, and the reigning champion,

, who has focused on the clay.

Yes there was

, but he was eliminated alone in the second round losing the papers.

And in this auspicious scenario, a window was opened to the future of tennis: at last there will be a Grand Slam champion born in the 90s.

or

will take the crown.

Thiem (1993) is the only one who knows at least what it is to play a Grand Slam final.

Three in your case.

But also the one that has suffered the most from the tyranny of the Big Three.

In the two Roland Garros finals (2018, 2019) he ran into Nadal, the best clay court player in history.

And in Australia (2020), with Djokovic, winner of eight editions.

At least this time he will be a favorite against Zverev (1997), who debuts as a finalist.

It joins a singularly short list: of the rest of the generation, only

(1990) and

(1996) have also reached a Grand Slam final.

And so, while the women's circuit already has its first champion of the 2000s (

, winner of the US Open a year ago), the men's

circuit is

still looking for the first of a generation in which some are already blowing 30. At worst cases has been a decade of waiting.

Since Roland Garros 2004

It is the most palpable consequence of the fact that three of the best tennis players in history have coincided in time, a treasure for the fans and a condemnation for the successors.

Between Federer (16 of his 20), Nadal (19) and Djokovic (17) they have captured 52 of the last 60 Grand Slam titles, including the last 13 in a row.

To see a different winner, you have to go back to the 2016 US Open, which

won

.

And to find the last first-time champion you have to go to the 2014 US Open, which

took

.

The novelty began to take shape as the rounds passed.

10 of the 16 classified for the round of 16 were under 25 years old, with names already prominent on the circuit such as Medvedev (world number 5 and finalist last year),

(6), Zverev (7) or

(8) .

All of them, by the way, players who pass with ease of 1.90.

Later, Djokovic's disqualification would lead to the first Grand Slam quarter-finals without any representative of the 'Big Three' since Roland Garros in 2004.

Thiem sealed his ticket after defeating Medvedev in what some called an early final (6-2, 7-6 [7], 7-6 [5]).

The number three in the world against the runner-up.

The Austrian resolved in three sets, but had more trouble than indicated by the scoreboard: he had to overcome a 'break' against the start in the second and third, and needed medical assistance for a scare in the Achilles tendon.

As he explained after the game, it was only a bad step and the pain disappeared after the massage and a change of shoes.

Murray's precedent

At least from the outside, Thiem takes his three Grand Slam final losses with humor.

"If I lose, I probably have to call

[

] to see what 0-4 is like," he joked.

The Briton lost his first four Grand Slam finals before winning the 2012 US Open against

.

Murray may be the big victim of the Big Three: although he has three majors in his record, he has lost eight finals (five against Djokovic and three against Federer).

In front, a Zverev who managed to overcome a magnificent start from

(3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3).

It was the first time in his career that he raised a 0-2 against and it will be his first final in a great.

disciple

is one of the greatest promises of NextGen but until this year he had not managed to shine at the big events.

The spell already broke him in Australia, where he fell in the semifinals ... against Thiem.

The winner will be crowned the first Grand Slam champion born in the 1990s. Behind closed doors and in the midst of a pandemic, a window has been opened to the future of tennis.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Rafael Nadal

• Pablo Carreño

• Novak Djokovic

• sports

• tennis

• US Open

• Roland Garros

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US Open 2020Novak Djokovic, disqualified from the US Open for hitting a linesman

US Open 2020The volcanic summer of Novak Djokovic, from parties without masks to a historic ball

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