Whether you’re a tennis fan or not, there’s no denying that Roger Federer made a great impression on the sport and his retirement after 24 years will come at a great loss to tennis. Federer was the first male player to win 20 major Grand Slam titles and still holds the record for the most Grand Slam semi-finals (46) and quarter-finals (58). Eight of his Grand Slam titles came at Wimbledon, which is a record in itself.
With Federer moving on, who are the up-and-coming tennis stars looking to take his place? It might take them a while to be in contention for the GOAT title, but these amazing players are already on the path to stardom.
Place Your Wagers for the Future
The UK’s summer tennis season might be over, but international matches are in full swing. Why not enjoy some tennis betting on some of these players while waiting for the big tournaments to kick off again?
Daniil Medvedev
The 26-year-old from Russia is currently ranked number 4 in the world for men’s singles, and with Federer stepping down, he should move into the top 3. Medvedev won the US Open last year and the ATP Finals in 2020. In fact, he is one of only two players outside of the top three of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic to win a Grand Slam title since 2016 – a huge achievement. He has a bright future ahead of him with the possibility of many more titles under his belt.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas is the best male Greek tennis player of all time, his highest world ranking of number 3 sees him draw even with Maria Sakkari for the honour. He has yet to take a Grand Slam victory, although he did make it into the final of the French Open in 2021, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. However, he does have nine ATP singles titles under his belt, so it can’t be that long before he adds a Grand Slam victory to the list.
Carlos Alcaraz
18-year-old Alcaraz turned heads when he beat Tsitsipas at the 2021 US Open. He then went on to best almost all of the world’s top tenners, including Nadal and Djokovic. Alcatraz is a huge favourite to take over from Federer as the best men’s singles player, given how much of his career is still ahead of him. In 2022 he came back to the US Open, having already claimed his first major titles in the Rio Open 500 and the Miami Open Masters, this time beating Norwegian Casper Rudd to take the title. Alcatraz now occupies the ATP world number 1 spot for men’s singles and looks set to continue his stellar rise in the world of tennis.
Emma Raducanu
Like Alcatraz, Radacanu had an amazing 2021. At 19 years old, she is the current British number 1, a ranking she achieved after winning the US Open women’s singles. Not only did she become the first British player to win a Grand Slam title in eight years, but she also became the first British woman to win any title since 1977. However, after such a high pressure year, including pulling out of Wimbledon after the fourth round, it seems that Raducanu hasn’t quite bounced back: she was defeated in the US Open, French Open, and at Wimbledon. Radacanu is still young and has plenty of time to cement herself as a quality tennis player, as long as she doesn’t take too many of the negative press comments to heart.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
French-Canadian Auger-Aliassime is the second youngest player ranked in the top 10 by the ATP Tour and has been generating interest in the professional circles since he turned pro at the age of 17. So far in 2022 he has claimed three singles titles including the Rotterdam Open, where he beat Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final. He came up against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the French Open and managed to take him to five sets before conceding. In the group stage of the Davis Cup, he came up against world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz and caused a major upset by taking the win. With a proven record as against experienced players, Auger-Aliassime is a solid contender for future Grand Slam success.
Conclusion
Federer isn’t the only top tennis player to have reached the retirement age, but he is the first of the Big Three to step down from the game. But like in any sport, there are plenty of hungry young players eager for their title shot, and any one of these players, or many others, could step up to the plate.
