Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, with an estimated 1.5 billion fans. The main drama of the game lies in the four Grand Slam tournaments in Paris, Wimbledon, New York and Melbourne.
These are the locations where magical memories linger. The majors can play five sets and be on the edge of the seat if both players are on top of their game. Sometimes a ball falling on the wrong or right side of the net can be a matter of small margins. When competing for the major prizes in men’s tennis, the margins are small.
There is now a new breed of players taking over the names that dominated the first quarter of the millennium. The Big Three are largely gone and there is an underbelly of somewhat experienced players – mid-twenties who have been around. Many of these stars have matured over the years, but are still waiting to break through with their first Grand Slam.
1) Alexander Zverev: In 2018, Zverev claimed: ‘I know it’s only a matter of time before I go far in the slams.’ The 28-year-old has been as good as his word. He has reached three major singles finals in his career and is still a piece of cake away from doing so breaking his duck. Unfortunately, he lost all three.
Zverev undoubtedly has the talent to win one of the major prizes, but Roger Federer has said the German must learn to be more aggressive. Zverev owns 24 ATP titles, including two Nitto ATP Finals trophies. He also won an Olympic gold medal with a brilliant performance at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
2) Taylor Fritz: The American has been threatening a breakthrough for a number of years. If that breakthrough is to be measured against recent progress, Fritz is doing fine.
The 27-year-old is in the top five and reached the US Open final in 2024. At Wimbledon in 2022, he had a good chance of reaching the final when he played the heavily hampered Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. The Raging Bull Spaniard somehow won. Fritz is on the rise and definitely has the head-to-head advantage over Zverev.
3) Casper Ruud: Ruud has been as high as number 2 in the world and shot through the rankings almost too quickly for his own good. Now he’s a mature 26-year-old who understands his game better, having just won his first major Masters 1000 title. The Norwegian was unlucky to face Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the 2022 and 2023 French Open finals. He also lost the 2022 US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz.
4) Stefanos Tsitsipas: It feels like Tsitsipas has been around for a long time. There was a lot of excitement in the air when he won the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, including an exceptional semi-final victory over Federer. He has reached two Grand Slam finals, the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open, but lost to Djokovic both times.
The Greek admitted that he had probably used too much energy in those matches. He said that greats like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic don’t do that.
The 26-year-old is still a good player and has three Monte-Carlo Masters titles to his name. His chances for Grand Slam glory may be over.
5) Alex de Minaur: The Australian is widely regarded as one of the most athletic and consistent players on the ATP Tour. He reached three consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals in 2024: at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He also achieved two slam quarters in 2025.
There was a statistic making the rounds earlier in 2025 about how consistent De Minaur is at beating players outside the top 10. However, his inability to reach the semi-finals of a slam means he simply doesn’t have the power to break through against the heavy hitters and higher-ranked stars.
“I don’t think my highlight is reaching the quarter-finals in a slam,” De Minaur said in a recent interview. “I see other players who have gone further, made it to the semi-finals and made it to the final, and I really believe I can be among them.”
When the draw opens in a Grand Slam, he might still be able to run through.
There is no doubt that tennis is entering a new phase of life in which the old guard is retiring. Nadal and Federer have retired and Djokovic may be nearing the finish line.
There are still plenty of guys who burst onto the scene five or six years ago waiting for their chance to win a major. Patience may pay off sooner or later for one of them.
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