Silly question, but isn’t the “Next Gen” the next generation? So why is Stefanos Tsitsipas being asked to talk about it in the past tense?
He is in Almaty, Kazakhstan, through to the last 16. He plays the local player, Mikhail Kukushkin, there. At the press conference he was asked about the paths of players of his generation, the Next Gen, who emerged when the Big Three still dominated the tour. I reread that twice on the 7.32 train. Emerged back when. So the next generation already has a back-then.
He didn’t want to compare himself. He said: “I have my own story. Their story is not mine, and my story is not theirs. It’s not only a question of results, it’s what you go through as a player”.
I found that rather clear. What I understand less is the name. In football, you say the youngsters, then you stop calling them that. In tennis, the Next Gen stays the Next Gen. I’m told it’s tradition, fine, but what does that mean? Will there be a Next Next Gen? Is it already here?
I tried the exercise in my kot (student room) in Louvain-la-Neuve. I compared myself with the other interns in my year. Then I remembered his sentence: my story is not theirs. It did me good. My flatmate asked what I was going through. I said: the corridor, to get to the kitchen.
Me too, I have my own story. It’s called C30.4 (a club-level ranking), and it’s temporary.
Anyway, I still have a lot to learn. Especially at what age you stop being the next generation.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
