Stepping out of the shadows

New generation of stars-in-waiting poised to pounce

The doomsayers have some advice for tennis fans: Intoxicate yourselves on the elixir still being served up by the best men's generation ever to grace the game before the well dries up and mere mortals take over.

They say when 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, claycourt king Rafael Nadal and Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic, not to mention the mercurial Andy Murray, hang up their rackets, interest in the game will plummet.