Tennis has experienced a year of generational change

Tennis has experienced a year of transition, where legends, such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams, have said goodbye to black and white sport and new ones have emerged on the international scene, such as the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who at 19 has become the number one racket 1 in the world.

The Boy Wonder finished at the top of the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) rankings after winning his first Grand Slam tournament, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 and 6- 3 in the grand final of the US Open.

Alcaraz won the first Major of his career and was also the youngest tennis player to play in the final at Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras won it in 1990, aged 19.

Behind the Spaniard, in the list of the youngest to reach the top of the ATP rankings are Lleyton Hewitt at 20 in 2001, Marat Safin at 20 in 2000 and John McEnroe in 1980 at 21.

On the other hand, the Swiss Roger Federer ended his brilliant tennis career with a shared defeat with Rafael Nadal in the Laver Cup, after both fell against the duo formed by the Americans Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock.

Federer retired from professional tennis at the age of 41, having won 20 Grand Slam titles in his 24-year career (the third-most in history), and his Laver Cup match was his first since Wimbledon in 2021, as a series of knee operations left him out of business.

‘Her Majesty’ has collected six Australian Open titles in her successful career (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 and 2018); eight times he was Wimbledon monarch (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2017); He lifted the US Open five times (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and in 2009 he won his only Roland Garros.

Roger Federer’s farewell wasn’t the only one the tennis world suffered, given that after a 27-year career, American Serena Williams played her last professional match in a defeat against Australian Ajla Tomljanović at third round of the US Open. .

Since her debut in 1995, Serena Williams’ career has been full of successes, an example of which is reflected in the 23 Grand Slam titles she has won. Only Australian Margaret Court has collected more Major trophies than the Saginaw, Michigan native, winning 24 between 1960 and 1973.

The first Grand Slam title won by Serena Williams was the US Open, when in 1999 she was crowned at the expense of the Swiss Martina Hingis, also being the first of the six editions won by the tennis player at the US Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012 , 2013 and 2014).

His record also includes 7 Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2017), 7 Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016) and 3 Roland Garros (2002, 2013 and 2015). ).

As if that weren’t enough, Spaniard Rafael Nadal became the most successful male tennis player in Major tennis history after winning the Australia Open and Roland Garros, with which he reached 22 Grand Slam tournaments, against 21 that Serbian Novak Djokovic after winning Wimbledon.

The Grand Slam season in tennis begins with the Australian Open, the first Major held every year. In 2023 the tournament will take place from Monday 16 January to Sunday 29 January and attention should be paid to rising stars such as Casper Ruud (he played two Major finals) and Frances Tiafoe.