With many of the greats of the early parts of the 21st century either recently reaching or nearing retirement – names like Federer, Williams and Nadal – the scene is set for a new wave of talent to take the tennis world by storm. Below, we take a look at the young talent most likely to evolve into the next dominating forces on both the ATP and WTA Tours, with each of these players having a chance to nestle in among the greatest tennis players of all time by the end of their careers.
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz is a clear standout on any list about tennis stars of the future. In reality, at just 19 years of age, the Spaniard is already a star of the game, having risen to the number one ranking at the age of 19 years, six months and four days – making him the youngest ever world number one. That ranking came after he won the US Open earlier this year in just his ninth appearance at a Grand Slam, a tournament at which he won three consecutive five-setters in the lead-up to the final before winning that final in four against fellow young star Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz’s game is one with relatively few weaknesses. He is a strong baseline player with a particularly powerful forehand, but he’s also more than capable going to the net, has a strong serve, and is extremely athletic – all the good stuff. This all-round ability means that he has invariably been compared to Roger Federer, and while he’s got a long way to go to match the Swiss Maestro, he appears destined to be one of the best players in the world for a long time to come.
Casper Ruud
The man Alcaraz beat in the US Open Final is another who will likely be spending a lot of time at the business end of majors over the coming decade. Casper Ruud is a little older, but at 23, he still has plenty of room for development. The Norwegian is the current third ranked male tennis player in the world behind only Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, and has this year made a big push up those world rankings. After ending last year as the world number eight, he made the final at two of the three Grand Slams he competed in this year, and though he’s still yet to win one, it’s hard to imagine that remaining the case for all that much longer.
The highest ever ranked Norwegian tennis player, Ruud has a style of play which is particularly well-suited to clay, boasting a heavy forehand and a solid backhand. If anyone in the world is going to eventually take the throne from Nadal as the best player on clay in the world, Ruud may well be in the box seat. Invariably, this means that he will be a major threat at Roland Garros throughout his career, but expect him to be there when the whips are cracking at plenty of other major tournaments over the next few years as well.
WTA
Iga Światek
Just as Alcaraz is on the ATP Tour, if there’s one player without whom this list would be incomplete for the WTA Tour, it’s Iga Światek. It’s hard to forget that the Polish young gun is just 21 years of age. It was over two years ago when she skyrocketed into prominence by winning the 2020 French Open, something no major bookmaker – check out this Palmerbet review for an example of one – expected her to do. By the time Światek’s teenage years ended, she was already inside the top ten. This year, she’s taken it to a whole new level, winning both the French Open and the US Open and taking a commanding lead atop the world rankings as a result.
Światek is an aggressive player with plenty of variety, making her very easy to watch. She hits plenty of winners on both sides of her body, though equally her offensive playing style means unforced errors are also typically fairly high. Not that it seems to impact her results. Both her forehand and backhand are powerful weapons, with a high level of topspin on the former making her extremely difficult to handle for opponents. Światek is the runaway best player on the WTA Tour already, and will likely be there or thereabouts for a long time to come, too.
Coco Gauff
Ever since Coco Gauff advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon at just 15 years of age, it was clear that she was set to have a long and illustrious career at the top level. Three years later, the American is still yet to break through for that maiden Grand Slam title, but she did make the final at the French Open earlier this year and has a couple more Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances to her name. Now 18 years of age, Gauff is the seventh ranked player in the world, and has plenty of scope to continue to climb the rankings.
Gauff is extremely athletic and very powerful, and her ability to create angles that few others could recreate is indicative of her precocious talent. Her backhand is particularly lethal, and though her serve has caused her some problems in the past, it is improving – and still nearly three years shy of even being able to drink in her home country, she’s got plenty of time to hone that skill. Gauff is already one of the best players in the world, and has plenty of scope for improvement still left in her.
The above names are some of the most talented young stars in world tennis. Already they have established themselves as some of the best players in the world, and with likely well over a decade left in each of their respective careers, it’s safe to say that the future of professional tennis is in good hands.
Carlos Alcaraz · Casper Ruud · Coco Gauff · Iga Swiatek
