OPINION: Bittersweet change, with a new breed of tennis stars on the rise

So often, the extended success of an athlete, or even multiple athletes, can create a stale atmosphere in a sport. Nobody really wants to watch the same individual or team winning everything, all the time.

The emergence of a new breed of young stars, however, is as sad as it is exciting, signalling the end of a golden era for international tennis.

Memorable rivalry

In the men’s division, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been locked in a magnificent rivalry over the last couple of decades, with all three players dominating at different periods.

Before the US Open, which came to a close at the weekend, at the last 80 Grand Slam tournaments held since 2003, the trio secured 63 titles between them. They have also spent a combined 891 weeks at the top of the world rankings.

While Nadal and Djokovic are still ranked among the top 10, however, 19-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz tops the latest ATP list and 23-year-old Casper Ruud is in second place, and six players in the top 10 are under the age of 26.

With Federer already fading from the top-flight circuit, at the age of 41, it is only a matter of time before 36-year-old Nadal and 35-year-old Djokovic also slide from the lofty places they hold in the sport.

Similarly, while she hasn’t had the same consistent competition from her opponents, the last appearance of Serena Williams on court at the US Open draws the curtain on another lengthy career which has kept fans entertained around the world.

At the top of the world rankings, 21-year-old Polish star Iga Swiatek has taken control, and the future looks bright with four of the top eight players under the age of 26.

Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles over a period of 18 years, and she spent 319 weeks at No 1, but she hasn’t won a top-flight tournament since 2017, gradually losing her grip on the game.

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She retires as one of the greatest of all time, however, as will Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, but it is a bitter-sweet changing of the guard.

There is a growing list of rising stars ready to take over in their absence, so it is the beginning of something new, but also the end of a spectacular era for the sport.