Like his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer sees Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the leaders of the next generation of tennis players.
Despite being often called the next generation, both are very much part of the current generation, winning titles left and right. Alcaraz was number one and has two Grand Slams to his name.
Sinner won a Grand Slam not long ago as well, so they're already here and dominating. Their rivalry will certainly be the driving force in tennis for the next decade, especially if they keep playing the way they did in their most recent match.
Federer was asked about them in a recent interview with GQ, and he sees them as the players who will carry the sport forward.
"I don’t like to put the pressure on these players because honestly aiming for 20 [major victories] was not something I did, Rafa did, or Novak did. Of course you have the players that you think are going to win multiple slams."
"Somebody has to win slams and naturally they’re going to win them nicely and do it perfectly and they’re going to be the ones carrying the game and become the superstars of our sport, which some are already announcing themselves to do: [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner, and so forth."
Obviously, the nature of tennis is such that we don't really know what's going to happen. Much like Djokovic emerged and disturbed the rivalry between Federer and Nadal, a new player can rise and disturb this one.
Perhaps we even know the player, as Holger Rune seems like the most promising talent. According to Federer, the following years should provide the answer.
"And there’s a lot of momentum right now also to see who’s going to be the next guy. So I think the next two to three years, they’re going to give us a really good idea because I think there are good players right now, but I still think they are recalibrating their game to understand: Okay, how can I beat the best in the business on their best surface?"