Led by Carlos Alcaraz, the current number 1 in the ranking, it also has Holger Rune, Felix Auger Aliassime and Jannick Sinner.
It was not only his first title in a Masters 1000. Holger Rune, before defeating Novak Djokovic, one of the best tennis players of all time and, of course, one of the best today, had left other four top ten to consecrate in Paris. The Dane thus became the second leader – the other is Carlos Alcaraz, of course – of the new generation of the circuit that will try to become the absolute dominator in the coming years. Along with both names also appear such as Felix Auger Aliassime, Jannick Sinner and, still in a lower step, Lorenzo Musetti and Sebastian Korda. Quality assured.
The question, then, inevitably arises: is that group of players born after 2000 superior to that made up of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz, for example? Everything seems to indicate that the answer is yes. And here the rankings obtained and the titles won do not come into the discussion because, in fact, the generation in which the Russian Medvedev commands – a former number 1 in the world – won more than that of his younger colleagues. It is simply about projecting a group of boys who hit the ball very hard but who also have a good dose of talent to ensure that there will be plenty of Grand Slam champions there.
It is true that Medvedev and company, at the age of Alcaraz and his family, had to fight against the fullness of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. And that if the three greatest players in history had not existed or, simply, had existed in another time, they could exhibit today a greater number of achievements. But when they were old enough and tennis enough to take the tour by storm, they didn’t. And the little ones are not to blame for it.
Outside of analysis and opinions, the positive is that there will be a deluxe year in 2023. With various tennis players from three different generations who will be ready for a great battle. Tennis, thank you.
