I noticed among the young generation a certain weakness in closing out or balancing out long 5 set matches. Tsitsipas is the latest example, to allow a 2 set lead slip away in the FO final, he did the same in the semi with Zverev and was lucky that Zverev did his own choke thing in the fifth. Mussetti was dead on the court after winning two close sets. Zverev last year led a big lead slip away in the USO final, it was awful to watch. All those players did much better in big best of 3 matches. Of the young generation, only Thiem seems to have the resilience to come through long 5 setters, but he seems exhausted now. Is it a stamina problem that some 34 or 35 or even 39 old players come still always victorious out of those long matches against much younger opponents, who by nature should have more stamina. Besides stamina its a tactical problem, to find periods of power play and more relaxed play during a long 5 setter, sometimes giving away a set, to stay fresh for the next. Maybe he has also to do with the fact, that we had more 5 setters outside the Slams in earlier periods, and the juniors could get more experience. The younger guns learnt 5 setters in Davic Cup or in finals or other matches of many normal tournaments. Borg at 16 years won a 5 setter with Onny Parun in Davis Cup, Hoad and Rosewall with 19 had tough 5 setters in Davis Cup finals. Becker at 15 played a long 5 set match with Edberg in a junior final in Britain, a year before his first Wim triumph 1985, when he came through all those epic 5 setters. Its something of an anomaly of the natural process, that the old guard is winning all those long matches against the much younger guys.
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