Next Gen 2024: German is not spoken (yet).
You won't find any great hopefuls from German-speaking countries in the current NextGen list.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 07, 2024, 11:54 am
Two pieces of good news, actually three. First of all, the 2024 season is still young, any late entrants to the Race to Jeddah are welcome at any time. Secondly: It currently takes a paltry ten ATP points to actually move into the top 20 players in the race. And finally, Joel Schwärzler, a German-speaking player, leads the junior world rankings. Schwärzler has just turned 18 and is now on the threshold of adult tennis.
Nevertheless, the NextGen finals, which have been held in Milan for several years and now in Jeddah, were an event in which the German language played no role. Let's take Jannik Sinner out of the equation, who sails under the Italian flag. And rightly so. And let's also take out Alexander Zverev, who qualified for the premiere of the U-21 tournament, but then decided to take part in the adults in London. Especially rightly so.
Stricker took part in the finals twice
And so only Dominic Stricker remains, the wonderful Swiss left-hander who was able to hold his own against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the last US Open and qualify for the season finale. And twice: In 2022, Stricker lost to Jiri Lehecka in the semi-finals in Milan, and a year later he was eliminated again in the semifinals against the eventual champion Hamad Medjedovic.
Stricker will be too old this year, but Dieter Kindlmann's protégé probably wouldn't take part in the event a third time. The question now is: Are there legitimate successors from the DACH region?
Mensik is already in 144th place as a 2005 player
Looking at the junior world rankings, the current leader Schwärzler (born in 2006) from Austria is followed by the two Germans Max Schönhaus (2007, No. 38) and Max Stenzer (2006, No. 39). From a German perspective, the greatest hopes rest on Diego Deduro-Palumero, who is already number 47 in 2008. The best young Swiss is Henry Bernet (2007, No. 62).
But the junior world rankings are just an indicator of what could be. The truth lies on the ATP tour. And the Chinese Juncheng Shang, like Arthur Fils, has already collected 200 points. Followed by Jakub Mensik with 144, a young Czech who is already in 144th place in the individual ranking as a 2005 vintage.