Pam Shriver says Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff lead the way in current Next Generation

Former world number three Pam Shriver believes that the likes of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, America’s Ben Shelton, and Coco Gauff lead the charge of the younger generation on the court.

All three players are amongst the most highly-rated currently playing in the circuit.

Shriver, who played in the final of the US Open back in 1978, was recently quoted in a story where she heaped praise on all these three players for their performances at the highest level.

"I think Ben Shelton along with Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff lead the charge among 19, 20, 21-year-old age group that's and that's pretty special," she said in Inside-In podcast.

Shriver also went on to express her opinion about Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic’s copying of Shelton’s phone celebration after winning the semifinal of the fourth and the final Grand Slam of the year in New York last month.

"It's a combination of young fresh face and the bold personality you know,” she said. “He was part of one of the most controversial moments, a couple of them at the US Open when he hung up, when he answered the phone call against Tiafoe and then Djokovic kind of turned the tables and did the same thing and but it was it's kind of like cool for tennis to be like in the trash talking elite of athletes, why not.”

Alcaraz became the talk of the town after beating the 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon earlier this year in a five-set thrilling contest with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.

On the other hand, Gauff has recently won her maiden Grand Slam after beating the current world number one Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the US Open with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.