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Former tennis player Tracy Austin has heaped praise on Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and a number of other young ATP players for having a brilliant 2022 season.
Austin is a former World No. 1. She won two Grand Slam singles titles at the US Open in 1979 and 1981 and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1980.
Austin recently took to Twitter to laud a fantastic year for men's tennis and said she was "excited" for what lay ahead.
What a year for men’s tennis!! Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz. Huge games and star power. Excited for what’s ahead," Austin tweeted.
Teenage sensation Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam singles title at the US Open and became the youngest ATP No. 1. Rune won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris by beating Novak Djokovic in the final, ousting five top-10 players en route.
Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz have had career-best seasons as well. Tiafoe made the semifinals at the US Open before losing to Alcaraz in a five-set thriller. Fritz won the Indian Wells Masters, the Eastbourne International, and the Japan Open on his way to breaking into the ATP top 10.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, has enjoyed a remarkable few months, winning 16 straight matches and romping to victory in Florence, Antwerp, and Basel.
"I've been watching you since I was a little kid" - Holger Rune on Novak Djokovic
Holger Rune has had a breakthrough season on the tour. The young Dane won his first career title at the Bavarian International in May. After making the quarterfinals at the French Open, Rune went through a lean patch. However, he caught fire towards the end of the season, reaching four consecutive finals. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stockholm and Novak Djokovic in Paris to win his second and third ATP titles.
Speaking in an on-court interview after his memorable victory over Djokovic, Rune revealed how he idolized the Serb as a kid and wished him all the best for the remainder of the season.
"Hello everybody, I want to start saying huge congrats to Novak and I also, I mean, you're one of my favorite players. I've been there, you know, watching you, since I was little kid, practicing with you. So it's a pleasure to be able to share the court with you now. And to your team as well. You know you guys are really good and doing an amazing job. So I wish you and Novak, the best for the rest of this season," Rune said.
Holger Rune is the first alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from November 13-21.
