Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz emerge as Gen Z icons at the U.S. Open, signaling a generational shift in the sport

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic pose together with their trophies after the Cinncinati Masters. (Credit: Matthew Stockman—Getty Images)

For decades, millennials and Gen Xers have celebrated the tennis legends of their generations like Venus and Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. But now Gen Zers are staking claim on their own tennis stars after Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz dominated public attention at this year’s U.S. Open, which concludes this weekend.

Gauff, 19, and Alcaraz, 20 captured global headlines for their young age and prowess on the court, much like their predecessors in their primes, such as 41-year-old Williams and 37-year-old Nadal, whom they’ve drawn comparisons to. But Williams retired after last year’s U.S. Open and Nadal is preparing to hang up his racket after a planned comeback from injury next year, positioning Gauff and Alcaraz as the faces of a generational shift in the sport.