By Dave Worsley*
Jannik Sinner at the US Open. Photo: photosport
Opinion - Every sport is looking for the "next big thing" the new player or players to step up and be a star.
In men's tennis it's about finding replacements for greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the still playing Novak Djokovic.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shared the four Grand Slam titles in 2024 and are still only young, Sinner, 21 and Alcaraz 23.
And it seems there are players ready to join them at a young age.
A group of four 20 and under are standing tall as potential rivals with no fear of who they will come up against and willing to hit winners at every opportunity.
Brazil's Joao Fonseca came through qualifying at the Australian Open and then beat ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the first round with some ferocious power.
The 18-year-old hit one forehand at 188km/h and was brutal with his shots throughout the match.
Fonseca is on a 14-match streak of wins having taken out the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia last month for top players who are under 21, and another trophy this month at a lower tier Challenger tournament in Canberra.
He will be a huge drawcard wherever he goes and has been talked about by all other pro players.
Another one to watch is Czech, Jakub Mensik who is 19 is already inside the top 50 rankings and he has a 5-4 winning record against top 10 players. He's got plenty of height and power and is likely to make the last eight of Grand Slams in years to come and possibly even 2025, if he can control his power.
The American pair of Alex Michelson, 20 who beat former finalist Stephanos Tsitsipas in the first round of the Australian Open and 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy has a very complete game and won a set off Novak Djokovic in the first round at Melbourne.
Both Americans don't seem to be concerned by the attention coming their way and are very level headed, which could help their careers develop, particularly in the United States.
Fans worrying who will take the place of the greats should feel satisfied with what is emerging from the pack. They may have different strengths and weaknesses, but this new group looks very good and very powerful.
*Dave Worsley is a longtime sports correspondent specialising in tennis.
