For years, people have wondered who could possibly replace tennis’ superstars once they inevitably moved on. Now, with Serena Williams and Roger Federer officially retired, and with injuries currently plaguing Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it seems we’re getting a clearer picture of those ready to accept the mantle.
On Sunday, Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune all successfully defended their titles at Stuttgart, Barcelona and Munich, respectively, and showed — yet again — that the future may have already arrived.
The much-hyped repeat Stuttgart final between Swiatek and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, was, remarkably, the first title match between the top-two-ranked women in the world since 2018. Swiatek, 21, proved her continued dominance on clay with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory for her 13th career title. No matter what Sabalenka did, Swiatek continued to raise her level and leave no doubt about her status as the favorite for next month’s French Open.
Meanwhile, some 788 miles away in Barcelona, Spain, Alcaraz was giving himself an early birthday present in his final tournament before turning 20 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. He now has nine career titles, the most by a teenager since — who else? — Nadal. Despite being more…
