The US Open showed more than glimpses of the future as two young champions in teenager Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek asserted themselves in the two sections to win titles even as Serena Williams, the all-time great of women’s tennis, took her bow after winning 23 Grand Slam titles.
As Rafael Nadal, another G.O.A.T. as they are called in sport, lost to the American with Sierra Leone roots in Frances Tiafoe, it appears that Alcaraz — just 19 and the youngest ever world No. 1 in tennis history and the first teenager to win a Grand Slam after fellow Spaniard Nadal in 2005 — is ready to challenge the trio of greats who have dominated men’s tennis for two decades. It’s a pity that Alcaraz was not up against Novak Djokovic in New York because the United States, a country which lost more than one million people to Covid, thought one unvaccinated tennis champion was a threat to the health of society and so barred him from entering.
Alcaraz has everything — speed, power, touch, stamina, self-belief and a dedicated coach in former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero — to be considered a worthy challenger to the top three. Daniil Medvedev had come through last year to deny Djokovic a Calendar Grand Slam but may not have lived up to the hype since then.
The US open, played on fast courts with light balls, can produce unexpected results and surprise winners. In coming through the test while showing great volleying ability, suggesting basic aggression, and loads of stamina in surviving three five-setters and two set points in the third set in the final against the Norwegian clay court specialist Casper Ruud, the Spanish lad seems to be the "Real McCoy" among emerging youngsters. So much does he smile on court that he must believe playing tennis is pure joy.
The 23-year-old from Poland, Iga seized the opportunity on Ashleigh Barty's shock retirement after winning the Australian Open, to win her second Grand Slam of the year, her first having come at the French Open, which she had also won in 2020. The three-time Grand Slam winner seems to have the game to dominate women's tennis since the one before her who came like a comet, Naomi Osaka to win four Grand Slam titles when young has fallen off a bit after caving in to the intense pressures of modern tennis.
