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Coach Patrick Mouratoglou highlights superstar players like Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are of incredible importance for tennis but adds that them losing from time to time also does well for the sport.
Mouratoglou, who famously worked with Williams for 10 years, had a chance to get a close look at how much attention and interest the American tennis legend used to draw. While Williams and Roger Federer are retired, Djokovic and Nadal are still active and the excitement for their matches remains the same.
But in men's tennis particularly, some new players have managed to make big breakthroughs and win Grand Slams in recent years. Most recently, 22-year-old Jannik Sinner became a Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open while 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz already has two Slams.
For Mouratoglou, that's a perfect mix as he believes having superstars and them having competition brings "uncertainty" and makes the game more interesting.
Mouratoglou: Superstars like Williams, Djokovic and Nadal go beyond the sport
"I think every sport needs superstars. Superstars go beyond the sport, bring new fans. They fill up the stadium, and I think it's very important," Mouratoglou said in a video posted on Instagram.
"I remember when Serena was playing. The excitement around it, of course, is the same now with Novak and with Rafa, who unfortunately couldn't play.
"It brings a lot of attention. But I think it's exciting to have both superstars and also young players coming up, it's not great if the champions always win. There has to be some suspense and uncertainty."
In his video, Mouratoglou acknowledged that Nadal hasn't played a lot over the last year but tipped the record 14-time French Open champion to be a contender during the clay season.
After two young players won two of the last three Grand Slams - Alcaraz (Wimbledon and Sinner (Australian Open) - this year's French Open could be very interesting as many will be curious to see if a young player can come out on top again.