Forty-something tennis legends Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils have retired from the game, leaving a gaping hole of showmanship, outstanding shotmaking, and the innate ability to whip up the crowd in a frenzy of excitement during their matches.
Who carries Wawrinka and Monfils’ showmanship legacies forward now? Three players in their early 20s immediately come to mind.
MORE: Ageless Gael Monfils joins Jimmy Connors in US Open lore
Carlos Alcaraz, 23
Alcaraz’s charisma and talent have made him a showman, and he offers the added element of changing his hair and facial hair often that also keeps fans guessing.
Carlos Alcaraz é um showman. 💪
#kinoshitajotennis
https://t.co/42HKopiq0n
— Carlos Alcaraz Brasil (@carlosalcarazbr) September 30, 2025
Arthur Fils, 22
Like his French counterpart Monfis, Fils possesses that showmanship on the court that gets fans excited. Injuries have plagued him, but hopefully he can step into this role as he stays healthy and grows his game. Like Alcaraz, Fils is known to change his hair which makes him even more fun to follow.
TAKE A BOW, ARTHUR FILS! 🤯
One of the finest tweeners you’ll ever see! 👏
@BNPPFEUOpen #BNPPFEuropeanOpen https://t.co/uuV6L4Wv7X
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 24, 2026
Joao Fonseca, 20
Fonseca possesses all the gifts to become one of tennis’s great showmen. He has a voracious fanbase and can get the crowd so immersed in his matches that it gives World Cup soccer vibes every time he plays.
JOAO. FONSECA. 🇧🇷 https://t.co/FdxpTpwbBf
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 21, 2024
Wawrinka and Monfils set the bar high
With three who may potentially fill their shoes, it is worth noting that Wawrinka and Monfils are irreplaceable. Wawrinka won three Grand Slams in the Big Three Era. His success is measured many ways, but earning two nicknames along the way; Stan the Man and Stanimal, shows how big his stardom was.
The ONLY man this *century* not named Federer, Nadal or Djokovic to win at least *three* of the Majors:
Stan Wawrinka! 🇨🇭
🏆 Australian Open 2014 🇦🇺
🏆 Roland Garros 2015 🇫🇷
🏆 US Open 2016 🇺🇸 https://t.co/ogjCP5ve46— Olly Tennis 🎾 🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 3, 2023
Monfils is in a league of his own with his ability to make every tennis match he played look like a supreme athletic endeavor and art. It was bittersweet that he could not play the Rolex Paris Masters, but the tournament held a farewell for him.
.@Gael_Monfils is from another planet! 🤯
Next level Air Monfils! 🛫
#MMOpen https://t.co/0MTHnIwtCG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 8, 2019
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