A new generation of tennis players are quickly rising
If you are a complete tennis superfan that has nothing better to do than watch hours upon hours of matches, you know the hype of the famed “Next Gen” players. The sport, which has been dominated for years by the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharopova has had some big new stars.
You might be wondering what the difference between a Next Gen player and the previously mentioned players is, and it’s primarily decided by two things: Grand Slams and their ages. New phenoms such as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios are young, winning titles, and performing on the highest stages. However, this year saw third-ranked Dominic Thiem leave the Next Gen ranks and become the newest Grand Slam champion when he won the U.S. Open. The women’s side saw Iga Swiatek win her first Grand Slam at this year’s French Open.
However, just because most Next Gen players don’t have Grand Slams doesn’t mean they aren’t winning very prestigious awards. This weekend saw fourth-ranked Daniil Medvedev defeat Thiem to win the Nitto ATP Tour Finals, the biggest tournament that is not a Grand Slam or Olympic competition. That marks the fourth year in a row that a Next Gen player has won the tour finals for their first championship victory, as Medvedev joins Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov. The world of tennis has been absolutely dominated for nearly two decades by the “big three” of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic for the ATP, and the incredible Williams of the WTA. These recent accomplishments show that their continued dominance may be getting challenged sooner rather than later by a new generation of tennis players.
