Tennis is an incredibly dynamic and entertaining sport, which makes it one of the most popular sports in the world. Grand Slam tournaments recorded a remarkable 2.2 billion in global viewership in 2024. This popularity is primarily thanks to the Big Three, young stars, and even the silent generation of men’s tennis.

While both men’s and women’s tennis is incredibly exciting across the board, there are certain players who earn special attention. The silent generation includes the players who followed the Big Three, but preceded young stars like Alcaraz and Sinner. In this article, we’ll explore why they failed to win much on the biggest stage, which makes them the silent generation of men’s tennis.

The Big Three Domination

The Big Three of men’s tennis, consisting of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, has entertained us for over two decades. Between the three of them, there are 66 Grand Slams— Djokovic with 24, Nadal with 22, and Federer with 20. Since Federer, as the oldest, burst onto the scene, the three of them have spent 947 weeks at No. 1. That amounts to 18 years and 11 weeks.

It is this kind of dominance that prevented the silent generation of tennis from ever making a mark. All three members of the Big Three were born in the 1980s, and their longevity made the difference. In the past, when tennis players got to their 30s, they started slowing down. But, not Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal won eight Majors and one Olympic Gold Medal after he turned 30 years old. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic won twelve Majors and one Olympics Gold Medal after his 30th birthday. Roger Federer won four Majors and one Olympic Silver Medal after he turned 30.

This continued and consistent success by the Big Three in their 30s left little room for everyone else. More specifically, it prevented the silent generation of men’s tennis from succeeding while in their 20s.

Lackluster Performances

Quite a few names popped up as the potential successors to the Big Three originally. Talented players like Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Kei Nishikori, and Milos Raonic all strove to be the best. Despite their popularity, their lackluster performances in Grand Slam tournaments stopped them from winning.

Between prominent names like Thiem, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Berrettini, Rublev, Dimitrov, Tiafoe, and even Kyrgios, 1990s players have won only two Majors. Medvedev has four finals losses, Zverev and Thiem three apiece, Tsitsipas two, with Raonic and Kyrigos recording one each. These failures on the biggest stage played a key role in this generation getting a reputation as the silent generation of men’s tennis.

The New Kids

This generation of tennis players might have had a fighting chance with the end of Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic’s careers. But, then the new kids joined the party. Carlos Alcaraz, born in 2003, and Jannik Sinner, born in 2001, have been an awe-inspiring presence in the Majors since 2022.

Despite their young age, these two tennis players have combined for 10 Grand Slam titles already. Alcaraz has won six, while Sinner has won four. It is still early days, but the rivalry between the Spaniard and the Italian has captivated audiences. In fact, their match-ups are reminiscent of the duels between the Big Three members.

Summary

Tennis is an exciting sport, and every generation has its stars, which goes without saying. However, players born from 1990 to 1999 will go down in history as the silent generation of men’s tennis. It wasn’t a lack of opportunities, a lack of talent, or even a lack of trying that brought them only two Grand Slam titles.

No, ultimately, this generation of tennis players had a perfect storm of circumstances. They spent their 20s playing against arguably the three best players of all time. Additionally, when they did get a chance to fight for titles, they typically failed at the biggest stage. Finally, they reached the end of the Big Three’s reign, only to face the young and hungry new kids.