In recent years, Spain has seen a falling number of possible future stars for the men’s game. Where previously there were players such as Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero at the peak of the ATP, immediately followed by talents such as Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco, there are now no Spaniards in the top five (with David Ferrer at number seven and Nadal ranked at number ten) – there also seems to be a lack of promising players coming from Spain.

Since the start of the Spanish greats making their way to the pinnacle of the sport, Spain has not disappointed; champion after champion have been produced and thus the European nation has established itself as one of the most prolific countries within the sport. Spain lies in third place on the list of Grand Slam titles by country with 21, behind only Sweden and the USA thanks to players such as Manuel Santana, Albert Costa and of course Nadal, who makes up a large portion of the Grand Slams won – the titles of Nadal are particularly notable as his era is considered “golden”.

Arguably the most promising Spanish player for the next generation is Jaume Munar, who only this week reached the third round of the ATP 500 Bet-at-Home Open tournament in Hamburg. However, from the “new generation” there are also players such as Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios, and Alexander Zverev who have accomplished more at a similar age – when compared to other nations, the Spanish slump is emphasized.

The current crop of Spanish stars

The current male Spanish stars of the game have expressed their concerns regarding the legacy of Spanish tennis. Pablo Carreño Busta is a young Spanish player who has decent results, with a career high ranking of 49 (currently ranked 56th). However, as Nadal stated in an interview last year, “Pablo has a good level of tennis and is a very good person (…) but how old is he? 22?” Carreño Busta is now 24. "It’s not like he’s 18. He’s got plenty of time ahead of him, but he’s 22 already. And the next ones coming after that, we still don’t see them."

Marc López, a good friend of Nadal’s, has also expressed his concern over the future; his worry is that the lull in upcoming juniors will continue due to having no inspiration when Nadal retires from the sport. “When Rafa retires, a lot of people in Spain won’t watch tennis anymore. I don’t know why. Maybe if a new young Spanish player comes up and is very good like Rafa… I think it’s impossible. It’s difficult.”

The current crop of Spanish female stars

When compared to the women’s current rising stars, the men’s game is falling behind. Garbiñe Muguruza leads the women’s charge, having recently reached the Wimbledon final and is playing consistently in Grand Slams, as well as decent results in the other WTA tour events. At only 21 years old she has proved herself to be a possible future top five player. There is also Carla Suárez Navarro who, although she is now 26, reached the quarterfinals of slam events seven years ago at age 19. Compare this to the state of the men’s game and there is a distinct difference.

No matter what crisis Spanish male players are currently experiencing, the tennis world will carry on and with it there may fall a generation without a Spanish male top player. However, as has been seen in other countries time and time again – namely the USA’s slump following the triumphs of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi that was ended by the relative success of John Isner, Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick – Spain will bounce back and produce champions. If there is one thing to be certain of, it’s the cyclical nature of sport.

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About the author
Joely Cook
Lover of tennis, in particular Rafael Nadal.