Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka might be changing tennis thanks to May 5

Star Wars fans know May 4, of course, because it's an easy play on "May the force be with you." But tennis fans might have a new holiday to celebrate somewhat. May 5 seems to be the date when tennis greatness is born. Literally.

Both Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz, who have both spent time at No. 1 on their respective WTA and ATP tours, were born on May 5. Sure, they were a few years apart. Sabalenka was born in 1998 and Alcaraz was birthed in 2003.

Currently, Sabalenka is in much better form and holding on to her No. 2 ranking while Alcaraz has, unfortunately, had to withdraw from a number of tournaments this year due to injuries. His most recent ailment is a forearm issue that is causing him to not play in the Italian Open later this week. Of course, the main hope is that the Spaniard will be ready for the French Open in late May.

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka share a birthday on May 5

Sabalenka simply hopes to compete well on the court at Roland Garros. She did make the semifinals in 2023 but never made it past the third round in any previous year. Her competition for WTA No. 1 remains Iga Swiatek and Swiatek has won three of the last four French Open titles. For Sabalenka to retake the top ranking and stay there for a long time, she will eventually need to overcome Swiatek at the clay-court Grand Slam.

The Belarusian and the Spaniard are not the only two notable current players to be born on May 5, though. American Chris Eubanks, who has a bombastic serve that allowed him to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, was also born on May 5. He is two years older than Sabalenka, however, as he was born in 1996.

Eubanks is currently ranked 44 on the ATP, but he did reach a high of 29 last summer. He might also have another good Wimbledon run in him in 2024.

Basically, if you want your child to turn into a very good tennis player, you might aim for the child to be born on May 5. Sure, there is little you can do about that really, but there is always hope. However, if you do have a May 5 birth, you might want to start calling tennis coaches immediately.

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