The 21 & Under Club: Alexei Popyrin

How do you follow the Greatest Generation? It’s a question tennis has tried to answer for at least a decade. Serena, Roger, Novak, Rafa: all of them are over 30, and they’ve combined to win 75 Grand Slam singles titles—but none of them are going away quietly. When they do, who will fill their very large shoes?

As you’ll see in The 21 & Under Club, the future of tennis is still coming, and coming soon. While it may not produce a 20-Slam winner, it’s clear that the game will be in good hands. Interesting hands, too: one thing we know for sure is that this new generation of players will infuse the tours with a wide and refreshing range of styles, personalities and backgrounds. When the Greatest Generation says goodbye, we can feel good about welcoming this cast of players to the courts.

From what we’ve seen thus far, the big-serving Popyrin is poised for prime time. A calm character on court, the 6’5’’ Aussie reached the third round at his home major this year. He covers a lot of ground with his long reach, isn’t afraid to come forward to the net and has a variety of weapons with which to terminate points. If he can continue developing an all-court game, this 19-year-old is set to hear ‘Oi! Oi! Oi!’ for years to come.