2019 Miami Open pits rising stars versus veteran talent

The men’s singles field at the 2019 Miami Open is seeing a fantastic mix of both rising stars of the ATP Tour and the very best veterans in the game today.

Novak Djokovic leads the field in men’s singles at the 2019 Miami Open. He is among the greatest players ever and is living up to that billing throughout the majority of the past year. So far in Miami, Djokovic is off to a great start. He wins his opener over Bernard Tomicand sets up a meeting with Federico Delbonis next.

Along with Djokovic are several other veteran stars. South African Kevin Anderson sees a winning start, as does David Ferrer, Milos Raonic, John Isner, and of course Roger Federer.

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The veterans are showing up to play at the 2019 Miami Open. Right there with them though, are some of the sport’s next big stars. Let’s start with Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Winning his opener in straight sets, Kyrgios continues to a trend of stellar play on the ATP Tour this year. Just two tournaments back, Kyrgios claimed a title at the Mexican Open.

Along with Kyrgios are several other rising stars such as Kyle Edmund, Frances Tiafoe, Felix Auger Aliassime, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Looking at the tournament’s previous champions though, these young guns have the odds stacked against them.

The defending champ is Isner. Then, Federer, Djokovic, and Andy Murray have largely dominated throughout the past decade. If Federer and Djokovic remain in the mix, they have to be considered the favorites moving forward. Can any of the younger ATP stars dethrone the veterans this month at the Miami Open?

We would love to see a finals feature Djokovic, Federer, or another veteran taking on a rising star. One major upset came to the current ATP Finals champion, 21-year-old Alexander Zverev, in the round of 64. Ferrer knocked out the arguably the sport’s next great superstar in men’s singles.

Stay tuned to track the progress in both the men’s and women’s singles action at the 2019 Miami Open. For updates on the women’s side as of Saturday, take a look at this post.