Stefanos Tsitsipas I remembered another time. “I had a fresher mind then, I felt like I was hungrier,” Tsitsipas began, as he seemed to contemplate his career, his life and everything else. “I’ve been pretty well established over the last couple of years,” he continued. “I saw the match. I went around again and again, the same circle of tournaments and events.
At the age of 26, Tsitsipas looked like he had suddenly woken up and found himself in a mid-life crisis. In reality, the world number 12 and two-time grand slam finalist had just lost in the first round of the tournament. Australian Opensuffering a shock defeat to the American Alex Michelsen, 20 years old. It was also the second consecutive grand slam where the Greek lost in the first round.
Except that didn’t seem to be the reason for his despondency. During his press conference after the defeat, Tstisipas made some strange statements. Among them, he said he was a “better player” now than when he reached No. 3 in the world four years ago. Or when he was beat Roger Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open at the age of 20. In any case, his recent results would disagree.
If anything, Tsitsipas was struck by the realization that a new generation could have caught up with him. On the other side of the net, Michelsen was now the promising 20-year-old, thriving on the big stage to eliminate top-ranked opposition. Elsewhere at the Australian Open, there was more buzz around the 18 year old brazilian sensationJoão Fonsecaor 19-year-old American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy – and that’s without even mentioning him Jannik sinner And Carlos Alcaraz.
When Tsitsipas lost his first two Grand Slam finals – in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final, and again to Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open final – he might have thought that in 2025, at the age of 26, he would have been able to win the biggest tournaments. Now Sinner, 23, reigns as the dominant world No. 1, and Alcaraz, 21, is his biggest rival in each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. And Tsitsipas can’t even make it past the first round.
This reflects a larger theme. Thanks to the historic dominance of Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal, male players born in the 1980s have won a combined total of 80 Grand Slam titles. The emergence of Alcaraz and Sinner means players born in the first decade of the 2000s already have six, with the Spaniard and Italian sharing the Grand Slam titles in 2024.
On the other hand, only two male players born in the 1990s have taken the plunge to become Grand Slam champions: Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem. Unfortunately, it rather adds to the resounding failure of the children of tennis of the 90s that Thiem, US Open champion in 2020, has already retired from tennis at the age of 31 due to a chronic wrist injury.
In fairness, the generation of the 90s would have won many more titles without Djokovic, Federer and Djokovic, who combined for an astonishing 66 Grand Slam tournaments won by male players born in the 80s. Some of those born in the early 90s, whose entire career was spent with Djokovic, Federer and Nadal at the top, didn’t even have the chance to reach a Grand final Slam in front of the other three. They are the lost generation.
But what the “Big Three” have left behind for those who are slightly younger is a trail of destruction that continues to hang over them as they now enter the second part of their careers, in the middle of twenties. The fact that Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have suppressed their younger opponents for so long is that, in Tsitsipas’ case, many now appear beaten and crushed, or even just exhausted from the sport, at the stage where they should be entering their prime. years.
At the same time, Sinner and Alcaraz entered the scene unhindered by such scars. The young rivals also reached a point where Djokovic, the main oppressor of the late 90s generation, began to fade physically, while still playing the same hard-hitting style of basic tennis that the Serbian mastered to maintain at the top.
Sinner and Alcaraz also helped bring about a development that has already made Tsitsipas question whether he even plays the same sport. “When I arrived in 2018, the game was very different from what it is today,” he said after the loss to Michelsen. “It wasn’t as physical. I had wins against Novak and I felt like I played well, and I didn’t need to push past the most extreme version of myself in that particular match. The game has moved more towards a physical game, the margins are smaller.
And at the Australian Open, it’s not just Sinner and Alcaraz who shine among those born after the millennium. NexGen ATP champion Fonseca destroys ninth seed Andrei Rublev in his very first Grand Slam match. Basavareddy, who was also making his Grand Slam debut, was described as the ‘complete player’ by Djokovic after starting, 24-time Grand Slam winner. Even Jacob Fearnley, who first competed in the Australian Open at age 23, looked determined to beat Nick Kyrgiosready for the stage.
In a way, this makes sense. Despite the pressure, it’s natural to rise to the occasion and find inspiration while participating in the biggest game of your life. But there was also a confidence about it, which went beyond the “hunger” that Tsitsipas lacked. “I want more and more,” Fonseca smiled after beating Rublev. “Yes, more and more. I think that’s the mentality of a champion. The 18-year-old is not the only one who believes his time has come, while others fear theirs is numbered.
