"Tennis is bigger than its stars" - Andrea Petkovic on Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, others taking the torch from Big 3 & Serena Williams

Former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic discussed the change of guard in tennis as players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and others look to take the torch from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams. Petkovic claimed that tennis will always be bigger than its stars.

With Federer, Murray, and Williams retired, Nadal heading towards his, and Djokovic being 37 years old, a change in the tennis landscape was inevitable. With 2024 being the first year since 2002 in which none of the members of the Big 3 won a Major, Sinner, and Alcaraz have placed themselves in the best position to take the sport into its new era, having won all the Majors this year.

On the women's side, 23-year-old Iga Swiatek clinched her fifth Major this year and Coco Gauff, who though didn't enjoy much success this year, has also established herself as one of the top contenders. Other than the two, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have also shaped themselves into huge contenders with the former winning two Majors this year.

During the latest episode of the AO Show, Andrea Petkovic was asked to opine on the current shift of era in tennis.

"There's this narrative around with Big 3, Big 4 and Serena retiring, that we've got these new youngs stars Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek, Gayff coming up. People are saying it was going to be so hard we're losing such icons from the game, but it seems tennis is replenishing like it's at an exciting time."

Petkovic, who currently works as a commentator, tennis analyst, writer, and other things, stated that tennis was bigger than its stars.

"So as I look at tennis as a writer and what I can say about the sport through the lens of a writer and maybe more broadly about life is, I think the game is bigger than its stars. We think that the stars make the sport but I think the sport makes the stars," Petkovic said. (at 23:47)

She highlighted how the mental challenges the sport created through its format, formed players into stars.

The very specific way tennis works with the one on one battle, combat on against the other, and also you can't let the time run down. You have to win the last point, it's such mental challenges that it breathes stars.

The German also added that despite losing stars such as Roger Federer and Serena Williams, she wasn't worried about tennis' ability to create more stars.

And we'll always have stars. Some shine brighter than the others, talking about Roger Federer obviously and Serena Williams, but this sport will always breathe stars, it just makes stars the way the mental challenges are presented to them and so I am never worried about the sport.

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"If Germany's not watching, Spain will because Carlos Alcaraz is there, or Italy will because Jannik Sinner is there" - Andrea Petkovic on tennis being a global sport

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner (Source: Getty)

Continuing her thoughts, Andrea Petkovic also added that since tennis was such a global sport, it would always have an audience somewhere all around the world highlighting Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Italy's Jannik Sinner as examples.

And what is also great is that if Germany's not watching because we don't have a star, Spain will because Carlos Alcaraz is there, or Italy will because Jannik Sinner is there, or Australia will because the next Aussie star is just around the corner and so I think that's the biggest strength of tennis that it's a global sport.

Interestingly, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played a three-hour and 20-minute final at the 2024 China Open which went the Spaniard's way. Their thrilling battle got huge applause from some legendary figures of the tennis world.