There are those who believe the glory days of tennis are well and truly over, but Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are still very much around and then you have Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek ready to take us into the future.

Carlos Alcaraz was one of the standout players of the 2022 tennis season.

After winning the first of his five titles on the year at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro to break into the Top 20, Alcaraz showed he could deliver on the game’s biggest stages by winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami after a semi-final run in Indian Wells. He then brought the show to his home fans, claiming a Spanish trophy double in Barcelona and Madrid, beating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in succession in the latter event.

More success put Alcaraz in position to reach the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the US Open, and he took the chance with aplomb to become the youngest World No. 1 since the rankings began in 1973.

He cited his wins at the Miami Open, Barcelona Open, US Open and Madrid Open among his favorite wins of the 2022 “dream” season.

“It was a dream season for me. So many titles, big titles. The first is when I won Miami. When I won Barcelona. US Open. That’s for sure. I would say when I realized I would end up number 1 and when I won Madrid too,” he said.

Fans and analysts alike had Alcaraz on their radar well before the start of the 2022 season, but few could have predicted how quickly he soared. By defeating Casper Ruud in the US Open final, he claimed his maiden major crown and with it, the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

He is the first man in 20 years other than Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray – since Andy Roddick in 2003 – to finish at No. 1.

He told the ATP that sealing the year-end No. 1 was the biggest thing for him this season.

“It means a lot to me,” he said. “To get this trophy, the world No. 1, to be part of tennis history along with a lot of legends, for me is an amazing feeling.”

While tennis has revelled in the glory years of Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic, there is a black cloud looming; in the rise of Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu and others, it is clear fans have much excitement to enjoy and to look forward to in 2023.

As well as Alcaraz and Swiatek, the emergence of Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Holger Rune and Brits Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper means we can look forward to another exciting year in 2023.