Roger Federer, who will be present at the Laver Cup in Vancouver, Canada, this weekend, has shared his thoughts on the change in guard with the success of young talents like Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff. He sees a generational shift happening in tennis and believes it’s a positive development for the sport. This year, two young tennis stars have claimed Grand Slam titles.
Carlos Alcaraz, 20, won Wimbledon while Coco Gauff, 19, secured her first Grand Slam victory at the US Open this year. Federer, now a retired legend with 20 Grand Slam singles titles to his credit, recognizes that existing records in tennis will always be broken. He expressed his happiness for Gauff’s US Open win, Alcaraz’s Wimbledon victory, and the emergence of a new World No.1 in women’s tennis, Aryna Sabalenka.
While Federer regrets not being able to compete against some of these new talents in recent years, he believes that tennis is in a healthy state. Federer said, “And just the new generational change is noticeable. It’s a bit of a shame for me that I haven’t been able to play against a few in the last couple of years.”
Roger Federer disappointed he didn’t get to play Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner:
“Current tennis is doing well. If I look at what Coco Gauff did at the US Open, it was very special & unique. She is incredible. On the men’s side, we are experiencing great moments.… pic.twitter.com/4vHNYwkiB9
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 22, 2023
He anticipates more young players challenging the dominance previously held by himself, Djokovic and Nadal in the men’s game. He added, “But I think it’s great what’s going on in tennis at the moment…it’s still going well, not that there would somehow be a slump after I retired or that Rafa is injured at the moment.”
Roger Federer has been of late involved with various projects and initiatives, including his foundation’s work in Africa and his design work for shoes, clothing and tennis racquets. He remains active and engaged in his post-tennis life, shaping the world for the better!
Contrasting story of ATP and WTA’s Next Gen talent
The Next Gen Finals now in its fifth year, has established itself as a must-watch tournament for those following the tour’s most promising young players. No doubt, it had effectively paved the way for Carlos Alcaraz’s rapid journey from Next Gen Finals victory to a Major champion in less than a year.
The ATP Next Gen Race is an annual point ranking list for players aged 21 and under. These rankings determine which eight players qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals. This year’s Next Gen ATP Finals is scheduled to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
✨ Jeddah is next ✨
The world’s top eight 21-and-under singles players are set to put their talents on display in a new city!
📍 Jeddah
📆 28 November – 2 December 2023#NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/VfnBfnMkjs
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) August 24, 2023
This tournament has greatly empowered the new generation of players and offered them a platform to showcase their skills. No wonder, there are as many as five Next Gen stars in the Top 30 world rankings of men’s players in the ATP list. These include – World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, World No. 4 Holger Rune, World No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti, World No. 19 Ben Shelton, and World No. 30 Jiri Lehecka.
However, the same isn’t true for the women’s game. Only two young players feature in the Top 30 world rankings of WTA – Coco Gauff at WTA World No. 2 and World No. 19 Qinwen Zeng. Considering the ATP’s highly successful Next Gen Finals, tennis enthusiasts have been asking if WTA should focus on promoting its emerging talents through a season-ending event, or continue with its WTA Finals,which feature only the tour-leading top 8 women players.