Tennis is suffering teen angst

Although the sport’s governing bodies have their hands full investigating claims of match-fixing, officials might also wish to launch a lesser probe into where all the young men’s tennis stars are.

Croatia's Borna Coric is the only teenager ranked inside the top 50. Photo: AAP Image.

 Although the sport's governing bodies have their hands full investigating claims of match-fixing, officials might also wish to launch a lesser probe into where all the young men's tennis stars are.

In the 1980s seven players aged 23 or under became grand slam champions on the ATP Tour, while there were eight in the 1990s and another eight in the 2000s.

How many has there been so far this decade? None.

Novak Djokovic's Australian Open win on Sunday night meant the trend during the 2010s of not one player aged 23 or under winning a grand slam title has continued.

Djokovic won his first major back at Melbourne Park in 2008 when he was 20, while Roger Federer (21), Rafael Nadal (19), Marat Safin (20), Juan Martín del Potro (20) and Lleyton Hewitt (20) also were fresh-faced champions last decade.

But who will be the next 20-21-year-olds to match their efforts, let alone replicate those of Michael Chang, Mats Wilander and Boris Becker, who were grand slam winners at the age of just 17 in the '80s?

Tennis has become an older man's game, with 36 players inside the top 100 aged 30-something.

Ivo Karlovic is the oldest player ranked in the top 100 at age 36.

Only four are teenagers, including Australia's injured rising star Thanasi Kokkinakis (No. 70).

And only one of those, Croatia's Borna Coric, is inside the top 50 (No. 41).

Just nine players in that top 100 are aged 22 or less, with only four of those inside the top 50, headed by another Aussie Nick Kyrgios (No. 28).

In contrast, there are 21 players over 30 in the top 50 alone.

Australian Open semi-finalist Milos Raonic doesn't look far away, but at 25 the Canadian is hardly a spring chicken. Neither is the promising Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 24.

Of that younger group, Kyrgios, 20, appears most capable of one day breaking through for a grand slam win, but right now he looks a long way from it.

PLAYERS AGED 23 OR UNDER TO
BECOME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION

1980s - 7

Chang 17
Becker 17
Wilander 17
Edberg 19
Cash 22
Noah 23
Johan Kriek 23

1990s - 8

Sampras 19
Courier 20
Stich 22
Agassi 22
Brugera 22
Kafelnikov 22
Kuerten 20
Moya 21

2000s - 8

Safin 20
Hewitt 20
Ferrero 23
Federer 21
Roddick 21
Nadal 19
Djokovic 20
del Potro 20

2010s  - 0