Why Tennis Is Thriving Despite Federer, Nadal, Serena Retirements

Novak Djokovic said the quiet part out loud. 

"It's been very difficult to stay motivated to compete after [Rafael Nadal's] retirement," he told tennis blog Punto de Break. "... I feel like a part of me has gone with him."

Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Williams fans are nodding in agreement. 

The men's Big Three and Williams have been responsible for 89 Grand Slam singles titles and countless more sold-out stadiums. The retirements of Federer, Nadal and Williams in the last three years must have had anyone invested in tennis' future on edge. 

Djokovic's lack of motivation to play is understandable. But what tennis can't have is the consumer lacking motivation to tune in. 

Yet somewhat surprisingly, business is booming. How has the sport pulled this off?

A Superstar at the Perfect Time

Six years ago, Tumaini Carayol wrote a column for The Ringer titled "How Will Tennis Survive Without Its Superstars?" He focused on Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini as players to watch as the Big Three faded, but he concluded there was "no guarantee that anyone will be able to fill the hole they'll leave behind."

The issue isn't just that this quintet hasn't won enough on the biggest stages. It's also that they don’t elicit wonder with their play. 

Tennis needed someone unique. Explosive. Fun. 

It needed Carlos Alcaraz. 

With the ruthless efficiency of Federer, the shotmaking of Nadal and the all-around excellence of Djokovic, Alcaraz is must-watch entertainment. 

His propensity for highlights makes him perfect for the TikTok-obsessed younger audience, but there's so much substance behind the flashes of wonder that any type of fan gravitates to him. He's already beaten Djokovic in two Wimbledon finals and won four Grand Slams, which also legitimizes his trajectory. 

Fans who were considering taking a hiatus from tennis after the retirements of Federer, Nadal and Williams can't anymore. Alcaraz is too interesting to ignore.

A Group of Other Stars

Jannik Sinner is coming off one of the most dominant seasons on hard courts in men's tennis history. His rivalry with Alcaraz (22) could wind up being on the level of Djokovic-Nadal (Djokovic finished ahead 31-29).

The 23-year-old has already won three majors. He'll play Alcaraz for the 12th time in the French Open final on Sunday. Alcaraz has won seven of their first 11 meetings.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka appears poised to dominate the sport in a way we haven’t seen since prime Serena. Like Williams, the 27-year-old overpowers her opponents with a big serve and huge groundstrokes. Her last 10 majors include nine semifinal appearances, six finals and three wins.

Iga Świątek (24) already has four French Open titles among her five Grand Slams, and at the least, she seems destined to set many women’s records at Roland-Garros. Gauff (21) is a serious threat to eventually take the throne as the best women’s player in the world, and she just won her second major on Saturday, beating Sabalenka in the French Open final.

Sinner, Sabalenka, Świątek and Gauff may not become household names like Federer, Nadal and Williams, but they will help tennis move on to its next era.

Breaking into Contemporary Media

Tennis has always struggled to gain mainstream popularity in the U.S. Three of the majors take place overseas, making it difficult for American audiences to catch some matches live. 

With less tennis coverage, there’s less investment in tennis players compared to NFL and NBA players. But contemporary media platforms have started to fill that void for tennis fans.

Netflix released the docuseries Break Point in 2023, which introduced tennis to a new group of fans who are likely more invested in the series' stars, such as Nick Kyrgios and Taylor Fritz. 

Netflix's Carlos Alcaraz: My Way docuseries on his 2024 season will only increase the Spaniard's popularity. 

The Netflix Slam, a 2024 exhibition match between Nadal and Alcaraz, represents another way to get more eyes on the sport. Could we see a Nadal and Federer exhibition on a popular streaming service one day?

Served with Andy Roddick has more than 103,000 YouTube subscribers and is the mainstream leader among tennis podcasts. Recently retired players and active players are also trying out podcasts, such as Nothing Major and Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios. The Tennis Podcast and The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast are two of many other podcasts giving people more ways to get into tennis.

Thriving

The 2025 French Open set a tournament record this year with $64.2 million in total prize money. The 2025 Australian Open set a record at $62.7 million, and 2024 Wimbledon set a record at $67.7 million. The 2024 U.S. Open holds the prize-money record for any tennis tournament at $75 million.

RolandGarros.com shared some stats that help explain the rise in prize money:

“The popularity of Grand Slam tennis reached new heights in 2024, with a combined viewership of almost 2 billion people in more than 200 countries. On-site attendance also grew to record levels, with more than 3,360,000 fans attending the tournaments, a 10 per cent increase in 2023.

“The Grand Slams have also seen remarkable growth in their social media audiences. With an increase of more than 30% in the numbers of in-tournament video views and impressions, the four events combined have reached upwards of 6.3 billion total views and a staggering 12 billion impressions.”

There’s no doubt tennis is thriving.

Some of the sport's recent growth is related to Djokovic's chase for a 25th major. When he retires, it will truly end an era, and we'll learn if tennis can keep thriving without its four icons.

But the rise in popularity feels sustainable without him.

Rivalries between Sinner and Alcaraz on the men's side and Sabalenka, Gauff and Świątek on the women's side should create magic for years to come. And there's potential for more players to reach their level, considering Alcaraz and Sinner were barely on our radars six years ago. There may be other players on the cusp of stardom in the next few years.

Even if that doesn't happen, tennis is in safe hands with its young stars.