Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz lead the next generation of men's tennis and they don't have reason to fear Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is being chased by an ever expanding number of young tennis stars including Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. (ABC Image: Kyle Pollard)

“Novak Djokovic is your Australian Open men’s singles champion.”

For more than a decade those words have been the most uttered on Rod Laver Arena after the men’s singles final.

Only Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have been able to prise the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup from the Serbian’s hands.

But now those names are by and large gone, Federer retired, Nadal injured and Wawrinka is a shadow of his former self.

In 2024 the 24-times grand slam winner faces a new challenge as a brigade of youngsters look to chase him for a title that he has claimed a record 10 times and supplant him at the top of the sport.

And although Djokovic was the most dominant player in 2023, the one thing the year did show was that the really young stars on the ATP Tour do not fear him.

Of his seven losses in 2023, five were to players under the age of 22, two of them in racquet-wrecking extravaganzas on some of the sport’s biggest stages.

Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti beat him in Monte Carlo, Danish world number eight Holger Rune did so in Rome, Carlos Alcaraz drove him beyond the brink in the Wimbledon final and Jannik Sinner did so twice both in Davis Cup and in the ATP Finals group stage before Djokovic took revenge in the Turin final.

Sinner, who was among the most in-form players at the back end of last year started his campaign at Kooyong with two comprehensive victories over Marc Polmans and Casper Ruud and has made his intentions known.

“We see this as a hunting year we go in every tournament and try our best and see what we can catch,” Sinner said of his plans for 2024.

Asked if he was a good hunter, Sinner responded that he hoped to be a deadly one.

“Lets see what kind of hunter … a sniper or whatever,” he quipped.

But if Sinner is stalking his prey, that prey is Djokovic.

He is tennis’s alpha male.

Sinner knows it and he also knows he is not the only one chasing.

Eight of the top 20 players in the world are now 25 years of age or under, four of them 22, like Sinner or younger.

Sinner believes they are the danger men.

“Daniil [Medvedev] plays really good as does Sascha [Zverev] there is also Stefanos [Tsitsipas] then a little bit younger players,” he said.

“Me and Carlos, Holger, Musetti, [Ben] Shelton … we are all players who are working really, really hard and we fight for every point.

“All of us play really different tennis …  and we all want to show who is best and I am really happy to be in this mix of players.”

As for Sinner’s new-found confidence and ability to beat Djokovic, he said beating Medvedev after six straight losses to the Russian is what ultimately changed his mental state.

“I think it is really important to win against Medvedev because I lost the first six times but I figured out if I play well I can beat him and then the same was with Novak, but it also depends where you play against him.

“Here in Australia he is really tough to beat, the record he has here and the AO is incredible.”

A new dynasty is coming

The record is incredible but Sinner is not the only one chomping at the bit for another showdown with Djokovic.

Alcaraz has been quiet this summer, playing one exhibition match, a loss to red-hot Australian Alex de Minaur, who ended Djokovic’s Australian win streak and shocked the tennis world at the United Cup.

World number 29 Sebastian Korda, who pushed Djokovic in Adelaide in 2023, believes it is just a matter of time before the youngsters take over.

“I think we are pushing a lot harder than in the years past,” Korda said of the tour’s younger players.

“Especially Sinner how he is playing, and Alcaraz.

“I think the young guys are really pushing the greats to play better and I think that is the last period before we have a regular champion like Alcaraz right now or Sinner coming up.”

Alcaraz has said he wants a final showdown with Djokovic at Melbourne Park and that beating Djokovic for a title means more.

Korda is the 23-year-old son of 1998 Australian Open champion Petr, and had his best result in a slam at Melbourne Park last year before he retired from his quarterfinal against Russia’s Karen Khachanov with a wrist injury.

American dreams

It is an issue he hasn’t entirely gotten over and while he is aiming for the top 20 this year he thinks his compatriot and good buddy Shelton might be able to cause waves this year.

The pair share a bond that goes deeper than their fathers’ — both having been successful touring professionals.

They both hale from Florida and are both into fantasy sports and US sports, though Korda is more into ice hockey than American football, at which Shelton fires the pigskin with his cannon of a left arm.

“Ben is serious,” Korda said when talking about Shelton and football.

But despite not having wanted to play tennis as a child, Shelton is also serious on the tennis court and so is his biggest weapon.

Shelton’s serve has been clocked at just under 240kph and it made him the most dangerous rookie on tour last year.

He finished it with his first title in Tokyo and made the quarters in Melbourne, beat Sinner in Shanghai and made the US Open semis before being trounced by Djokovic in straight sets.

Shelton shrugged off the loss and the way he started his season in Brisbane with a loss to dangerous Russian Roman Safiullin.

“I don’t think there is any pressure for me,” Shelton told the ABC.

“I have a lot of long-term goals where I want to see my game develop and I don’t think I am anywhere near where I want my game to be.

“The final product, I don’t know if I will ever be there but it is a work in progress.”

Shelton has landed in the same section of the Australian Open draw as Djokovic and could get a US Open rematch in the fourth round.

He said he would learn from that loss, like many others he has suffered, and acknowledged that while he is solid from the back of the court he is looking to continue to involve his all court game and come to net, something he would have to do against the brick wall that is Djokovic.

“It is a really cool experience to play those guys who have run our sport for the last 15 or 20 years,” Shelton said.

“I am trying to become a well rounded player and have an all-court game.

“I don’t think of myself as a bad baseline player but it’s very difficult to win points from the baseline against these guys at the top, top level so I think the more wrinkles in my game the more things you can throw at guys to shorten points or disrupt rhythm is beneficial and helps getting wins in tough matches.”

Asked who he thought might be the man to dethrone Djokovic, the 21-year-old rising star said he did not want to speak for any of the young players he shares a bond with but he too thinks their time is coming soon.

“There are a lot of young guys trying to get to the top and play those guys,” the Florida Gator said.

“Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have been so dominant in these last two or three years.

“Then you have guys like Arthur Fils, Luca van Assche and  Lorenzo Musetti …  it has been cool to see so many young guys having such success and breaking into the top 50 at such a young age because it is definitely not normal and it is very impressive how many young guys who are breaking through lately.”

Asked about his good friend Korda, Shelton gave a smile.

“I think Seb Korda is going to be at the top of the game for a long time, he is just too clean not to be one of those guys contending for titles.”