Tennis future: What comes after Alcaraz?

After the five-set defeat against tennis' new superstar, Novak Djokovic was asked whether a big rivalry could now arise between him and Carlos Alcaraz. "I would hope so for myself, but he will be on the tour for a very long time and I don't know how long I will be there." The 36-year-old Serb may still have a few years of top-class sport left in him, but for For a long and inspiring rivalry, Alcaraz needs other opponents.

Djokovic-Alcaraz will never get close to big long-term duels with Roger Federer, Rafal Nadal and Andy Murray due to the Serb's age. Djokovic has played against Federer 50 times (17 of them in majors), against Nadal 59 times (18) and against Murray 36 times (10). There are just three duels against the 20-year-old, now two-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz (1:2 record). There could be a re-match at the US Open in just a few weeks, and Djokovic's hunger for his 24th major title will be as great there as ever.

Novak Djokovic will probably only be the big Alcaraz rival for a few more years. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

But compared to everyone else of the younger generation, Alcaraz is outstanding. Djokovic sees it that way too. Not only that, from his point of view, he can combine the best of all three worlds of Federer, Nadal and himself. “He has that mental strength and maturity. For someone 20 years old, that's pretty impressive. He has the mentality of a Spanish bull in terms of fighting spirit and an incredible defensive game that we have always seen from Rafa. And it has some similarities to my backhand.” “He has incredible adaptability, which is a key to longevity and a successful career on all surfaces.” Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz What the “Djoker” values most is the adaptability of the young Spaniard. “That has been my personal strength for many years and he has it too. He has incredible adaptability, which is a key to longevity and a successful career on all surfaces.” But no matter how big the “big three”, with Murray “big four”, have become: they also have their rivalries to thank for it. They pushed each other to new heights, learned from each other and, despite all their successes, had to constantly reinvent themselves.

Alcaraz ahead of the younger generation Therefore, from the perspective of tennis fans, Alcaraz must also be wished for great competition after Djokovic. People like 20-year-old Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner from Sexten or maybe even Lorenzo Musetti (both 21) have the potential. Stars like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Andrej Rublev, all of whom were credited with filling the “gap” after the “big three”, must watch Alcaraz’s rise in amazement. For example, Medvedev had to clearly bow to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon semifinals in less than two hours.

All those who now see Alcaraz as the next serial winner à la Djokovic and Co. should be warned: big victories can also quickly fill you up, as countless “one-hit wonders” show, not only from the tennis past. If interest focuses on a single top star, it makes the athlete's life more difficult. It increases the pressure enormously when all eyes are only on one star.

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Tennis future: What comes after Alcaraz?

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated the tennis world for well over a decade. But what does the future look like?

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