Novak Djokovic reveals ‘bright’ future hope after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal question
NOVAK DJOKOVIC is confident that there is a “bright” future in tennis beyond himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Miami Open: Djokovic reflects on defeat to Bautista Agut
The big three have dominated tennis over the past 15 years, sweeping up the bulk of the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
But with Federer now 37 years of age and Nadal turning 33 later this year, questions have been raised as to what will come next after a golden era of the sport in which three of the best players of all time have simultaneously competed on the ATP Tour.
Several Next Gen stars have made their mark but it is still the triumvirate of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer who continue to claim the major prizes.
The Serbian star has won all of the last three and it is expected he and world No 2 Nadal will be the two to battle it out for the upcoming French Open title.
And given the lack of success for the younger players in slams - there has been a concern that the game will suffer a lull in the absence of the big three.
But Djokovic believes there are prospects on tour who can take the game to the next level after them - dropping four names in particular.
“I mean, you already know the names of a couple names like Felix [Auger Aliassime] and Denis [Shapovalov], as well.
“I mean, a couple of Canadian young stars that are really bold and courageous on the court and playing some great tennis.
Miami Open: Bautista Agut DEFEATS Djokovic
We need that. We need new faces in tennis.
“You know, we're gonna have a shift.
“Obviously [Alexander] Zverev leads the way of young guys. Don't know who else.
“I mean, there are a couple of young guys like [Hubert] Hurkacz, the Polish guy.
“It's great. We need that. We need new faces in tennis.
“I think the tennis future is bright.”
Djokovic crashed out of the Miami Open on Tuesday night with a surprise loss to Roberto Bautista Agut, despite winning the first set.
The 31-year-old also lost early in the Indian Wells Masters the previous month.
And tennis expert and former WTA player Daniel Hantuchova believes something may be going wrong off the court.
She told Amazon Prime: “I still feel like it was a huge mistake not to bring [his coach]Marian Vajda to Indian Wells.
“He was never able to recover from such a long break from tennis.
“There was a lot of frustration on the court from Novak and you just feel like there is something not right in his life as well.”
Djokovic is expected to return to the tour at the Monte Carlo Masters in mid-April.