Jannik Sinner, of Italy, executing a picture-perfect backhand volley against Holger Rune, of Denmark, at the 2022 ATP Sofia Open tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria
How pro tennis champions can get even better
“It doesn’t get any better than this” was a phrase of praise tennis broadcasters often used when the legendary Big Three enthralled us with their greatest matches in Grand Slam finals. We rightly thought that for 15 years, when their lengthy primes overlapped, and their rivalries peaked.
Then, surprisingly and suddenly, came the new Big Two. Alcaraz and Sinner, with their relentlessly audacious and aggressive attacking games, made us rethink how tennis could be played. “Sincaraz” took tennis to a new level of dynamic brilliance. They’ve captured the last eight Grand Slam titles and showcased their talent in seven finals during 2024–25. Sinner resembles a harder-hitting version of mercilessly methodical Djokovic, and Alcaraz amazed us as even more athletic and as a more awesome shot-maker than Federer.
After several of the mind-blowing Sincaraz duels, and most particularly the classic 2025 French Open final, the broadcasting encomium du jour morphed into a question: “How can tennis be played any better than this?”
That made me think because Alcaraz is the most talented tennis player—in terms of athleticism and diverse, extraordinary shots—I’ve ever seen. Yet, the wizard of Spain is only six feet tall. What if in 2030 a 6’6” version of Alcaraz takes over tennis?
The analogy I believe fits is Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, a stupendous athlete and perennial All-Star, but only 6’2” on a good day, versus Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is an equally stupendous athlete. But at 6’6”, SGA is a superstar. The significant height difference—all other things being equal—enables SGA to achieve more in basketball, a hyper-athletic sport, like tennis, where size matters.
The controversial topic of race also ineluctably enters the conversation. Here, I encourage you to read the book, TABOO: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We’re Afraid to Talk About It by Jon Entine. Written after Arthur Ashe, the only great black men’s champion, died in 1993, TABOO provided the evidence for Ashe’s famous 1988 prediction: “Given the same chance others have had, blacks could dominate tennis in as little as ten to fifteen years just as they have dominated in other sports.”
Although Ashe’s prediction hasn’t come true for the men, he would have beamed with pride at Serena and Venus Williams. In singles, Serena became the consensus GOAT with 23 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal, while Venus, who rejoined the WTA Tour in 2025 at an ageless 45, won seven majors and an Olympic gold. In doubles, they captured 14 majors (never losing a final!) and three Olympic golds.
A 2016 essay titled “How America Can Produce Tennis Champions Again” appears in my book, The Fein Points of Tennis. It focuses on American men’s tennis and explains why we haven’t had a Grand Slam singles winner since Andy Roddick way back at the 2003 US Open.
The essay proposes a time-tested solution. American tennis organizations and coaches could—and should—do what European soccer and basketball teams have done for years: search for and recruit talented 7- to 12-year-old athletes in West and Central Africa, bring them to Europe, and train and educate them. Ashe discovered 10-year-old Cameroonian Yannick Noah, a gifted athlete, and encouraged his parents to emigrate to France to give him elite training. It paid off the 6’4” Noah, who became the 1982 French Open champion.
That takes me to a related topic. In our recent interview to honor her Hall of Fame broadcasting career, Mary Carillo—whom I greatly admire and rarely disagree with—made this thought-provoking assertion. “You must be so strong, fast, and fit to live on the court with the best women players now. The game is so much about physicality that the days of teen phenoms infiltrating tennis seem pretty much impossible, no?”
Carillo may have overstated her valid point. It’s highly unlikely that an undersized (5’4”, 110 pounds) teen queen such as Tracy Austin can nowadays win a major title, even the French Open on clay. However, teen phenoms Serena Williams, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf had everything it takes to infiltrate and conquer the top echelon of tennis.
Similarly, Victoria Mboko fits this profile. The black Canadian, whose parents emigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States, will be a teenager until August 26 next year. Mboko, who zoomed up the rankings to No. 18 this year, has everything it takes to win a major: the physique (a strongly built 5’10”), athleticism, poise, technique, tactics, and competitiveness. She showcased these essential attributes at the Canadian Open in August when she outplayed four major title winners—Sofia Kenin (6-2, 6-3), Gauff (6-1, 6-4), Elena Rybakina (1-6, 7-5, 7-6), and Naomi Osaka (2-6, 6-4, 6-1) for the WTA 1000 title.
Mirra Andreeva is another strong candidate to win a major before she turns 20 on April 29, 2027. The 5’10” Russian ranks No. 9, serves up to 120 mph, and boasts an excellent backhand, touch, and tactics. She needs to improve her forehand and calm her volatile temperament, but she has the ideal coach in savvy Conchita Martinez.
Serena Williams, a muscular 5’9.5”, blended awesome power, superb foot speed, sound technique (except on the volley), and fierce competitiveness to take the women’s game to unprecedented heights.
A 6’2” version of Serena would prove even more unstoppable.
Paul Fein — Dec. 4, 2025
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