Carlos Alcaraz facing the bright future of men’s tennis after the US Open

The future of men’s tennis is in good hands. And while in whose hands it will be yet to be determined, it will be a lot of fun to watch it unfold after this transformational fortnight in Queens.

A new generation is not just knocking on the door, but insisting on going through it. For now, the face of the future is Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old who beat Casper Ruud, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3, to win the US Open . championship and world No. 1 ranking on Sunday, capping off two electrifying weeks of work on Ashe.

But do you know who will be hiding from January in Australia? Novak Djokovic is who, after his eligibility for the inaugural 2023 Slam was confirmed by Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley on Sunday. The 21-time Slam champion, of course, was ruled out of both Australia 2022 and The Open due to his decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

So Alcaraz, the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990 and the eighth teenager to claim a major in the Open era, will know in a hurry what he’s chasing.

Alcaraz never quite reached the heights of their five-set victory in Friday’s jaw-dropping semi-final against Frances Tiafoe, but didn’t have to to win. He wasn’t as dynamic as he had been in that one, but the king of Les Gets had too much speed, too many weapons and far too much net play – 34 points from 45 won at net, 15 from 21 serve and volley – for Norway’s 26-year-old fifth seed.

But then the slight drop in Alcaraz’s play which could very well be due to being on the court for 13 hours and 28 minutes during their three wins in five sets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It could have been a function of having played 225 games (including five tiebreakers) in his first six games.

Djokovic was not there. Roger Federer, who at 41 has not played competitive tennis since Wimbledon last year as he recovered from his third right knee surgery in 18 months, was not there either, although the Switzerland is set to play in the Laver Cup in two weeks in London. Nadal was there but exited after his round of 16 loss to Tiafoe.

Despite this, it was an engrossing tournament. The emergence of Alcaraz and Tiafoe energized the grounds. Ruud, 26, has established himself as a force to be reckoned with by making his second Slam final, following his loss to Nadal at Roland Garros.

New Nick Kyrgios knocked out the defending champion and now dropped No.1 Daniil Medvedev in the Round of 16 but fell flat in a quarter-final loss to Karen Khachanov, after which he regained his form with a racket crunch. Still, Kyrgios comes out of this Grand Slam season seen as much of a potential contender as a novelty act.

There is a line that draws itself behind Alcaraz in a masculine universe dominated for two decades by three men. And before we got too far ahead of ourselves, Nadal and Djokovic combined to win six of the last nine and eight of the last 12 Grand Slams. Neither is likely to go quietly into the night.

Tiafoe’s rise has been uplifting for the folks at the USTA and a legion of fans, especially following the country’s first seed, Taylor Fritz, who ignited in the first round. If Tiafoe is not at the head of the group that will chase Alcaraz around the world, it would be a disappointment.

No one has been more closely identified with American men’s tennis over the past 45 years than John McEnroe, who of course stood in for his ESPN analyst for this one. We all think we know McEnroe, who has been a constant in the world of tennis and in our lives since the Jimmy Carter administration.

But we don’t. Not really.

There’s a can’t-miss documentary simply titled « McEnroe, » airing on Showtime Anytime, in which the 63-year-old (!) bares his soul to the bone and leaves those of us who grew up saddened, disturbed and ultimately feeling a great deal of empathy for him and his family. This is McEnroe explaining McEnroe.

Years of self-examination, along with the support and love of his wife, Patty Smyth, seem to have created a certain serenity in his life. “McEnroe,” written and directed by Barney Douglas, is a remarkable look at the journey of one of the sport’s enduring legends and evolving individuals.

McEnroe, of course, was a teenage terror when he made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1977 aged 18. Alcaraz emerges from the Open as a teenage angel.

Now they will all come after him. Including Djokovic, in Melbourne.