Swiss tennis is now orphaned by the two best players in its history. After Roger Federer, who announced his retirement on September 15, 2022 and played his last match at the Laver Cup on September 23 of the same year, it was Stan Wawrinka who bowed out this week, during the ATP 500 tournament in Basel.
The Basel and the Vaudois thrilled fans of the little yellow ball with 20 and 3 Grand Slam titles respectively. With their retirement, a question arises: will Switzerland be able to compete for major tournaments again in the near future among the men?
Spain has successfully completed the post-Rafael Nadal transition with Carlos Alcaraz and, now, Rafael Jodar. What about in Switzerland? Here are the five surest hopes.
Henry Bernet (19 years old, 361st in the world)
A Basel with a one-handed backhand. This description resembles that of Roger Federer. However, it is that of Henry Bernet, who is also sponsored by On, the brand of his illustrious predecessor. Winner of the Junior Australian Open in 2025, the 19-year-old is currently the greatest talent in Swiss tennis.
Mika Brunold (22 years old, 191st in the world)
With the retirement of Stan Wawrinka, Mika Brunold became the highest ranked Swiss player in the ATP. For several months, the Zurich native has been climbing the hierarchy at high speed. He entered the top 200 thanks to his first two Challenger crowns in Tulln and Roanne, where he each time beat much higher ranked players.
Jérôme Kym (23 years old, 222nd in the world)
Born in 2003, Jérôme Kym had his first success at the 2025 US Open, where he reached the third round. On Thursday, he achieved a sensational feat by eliminating Ben Shelton, 4th in the world and finalist of the last US Open, in the round of 16 of the Basel tournament. Very talented, the Aargau native is unfortunately often hampered by injuries. Will this beautiful week in Basel serve as a trigger?
Dylan Dietrich (22 years old, 254th in the world)
This name is probably less familiar to you than that of Henry Bernet. And that’s normal since Dylan Dietrich chose the path of university tennis in the United States to develop. Voted university player of the year in 2026, the Zurich native has made the transition to the professional circuit perfectly. He has just won his first Challenger tournament in Columbus.
Flynn Thomas (18 years old, 879th in the world)
Currently 28th in the world rankings among juniors, Flynn Thomas is one of the players of the future in Swiss tennis. The man who lives with an autism spectrum disorder won his first Future tournament in September in France. His goal? Win Grand Slams and make history, as he explained to the newspaper “L’Équipe”.
