Wearing a dark blue T-shirt bearing Roger Federer’s first name and pushing a gray stroller carrying her 1-year-old daughter, Martina (as in Hingis), at the Australian Open, Angelica Ibarra spoke for many a tennis fan when she described her mood on the first day of Grand Slam action since two of the sport’s most significant athletes ended their careers.

“I’ve grown up seeing Roger play, so for me, tennis IS Roger and Roger IS tennis,” said Ibarra, who said she is from Colombia and now lives in Melbourne. “Not to see Roger back at the tennis is a bit emotional. I also like women’s tennis, and the Williams sisters aren’t here, as well. But I’m really excited to see the up-and-coming talent of the new generation. This will be my first time watching some new players.”

The 2023 edition of the Australian Open, which began on a cloudy Monday morning (Sunday night EST), is not the first Grand Slam tournament to be contested without Roger Federer or Serena Williams, of course.

That was the case at the 2022 edition of the Australian Open, too, to name just one example.

What is different now is that this marks the first major tournament since Federer and Williams — two larger-than-the-game, larger-than-life figures, both 41 and with a combined 43 Slam singles championships and years’ worth of weeks at No. 1 in the rankings — announced they would be retiring (or, to use her preferred term, “evolving”).