STARNBERG, March 1, 2019 (Sponsored)
From the current top 5 in the ATP ranking, there are no less than four players who are already over 30 years old. Number one Djokovic is 31 and number two Rafael Nadal is 32 years old. Number four Juan Martin del Potro is 30 and number five Kevin Anderson is 32 years old. Number three Alexander Zverev is the only one in the top five still in his twenties, being only 21 years old. We wonder how many Grand Slams Djokovic can still win in his already impressive career, but we now want to have a look at five male tennis players who have a bright future ahead.
Alexander Zverev
This brings us to the first player in our list, wunderkid Alexander Zverev. The German tennis player is considered to be one of the most promising young talents out there. Zverev is known to be an aggressive baseliner who aims to hit powerful groundstrokes with the aim to wear down his opponents. He also possesses a great serve and an excellent double-hander backhand. Zverev maintained his top 5 ranking for more than a year now. However, he still did not pull off any high-caliber results at any of the Grand Slam tournaments.
Dominic Thiem
The Austrian is currently number 8 on the ATP list and even reached the number 4 spot at the end of 2017. Thiem is 25 years old and already has an extensive resume, he has already won 10 singles titles on the ATP tour. Thiem often uses heavy, penetrating groundstrokes to hit winners or outlast his opponents. The Austrian has defeated each of the “Big Four” and even taken down Nadal on clay, at the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open. Thiem reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open, though losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
Denis Shapovalov
The Canadian at the moment holds the 24th position on the ATP list and became the youngest after Michael Chang in 1989 to reach the fourth round of the US Open. Shapovalov has a very offensive game style, with the forehand and the serve as his biggest weapons. Shapovalov was born in 1999 and is only 19 years old. “Shapo” is Canadian but was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He reached the semifinal of the Rogers Cup in 2017, eliminating Rafael Nadal in the process. It will be very interesting to see the progress he makes this year, being the youngest player in this list.
Frances Tiafoe
The American tennis player is 21 years old and currently holds the 34th position on the ATP list. Frances Tiafoe won his first ATP Title at the Delray Beach Open in 2018, defeating his idol and number 4 Juan Martin Del Potro, as also fellow young tennis players Denis Shapovalov and Hyeon Chung. Tiafoe plays an aggressive and often offensive game that relies on a big serve and powerful forehand. The 21-year old is the youngest American male tennis player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Andy Roddick in 2001 and is considered to be one of the best players in the new crop of young American tennis players.
Hyeon Chung
South Korea’s Hyeon Chung, who turned 22 last year is currently number 53 on the ATP list. In 2018, he caught the eye the entire tennis world when he surprisingly defeated 6-time champion Novak Djokovic in the 4th round of the Australian Open, Chung’s idol as a youngster. He then became the first South Korean, male or female, to ever advance beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam. He has a great backhand and return game, but his lacklustre serve could be improved. Being almost 10 years younger than Djokovic, he definitely has the potential to be a top-10 player, without a doubt. He reached his career best ranking of 19 in April last year.
These are just five of the several dozen potential top young tennis stars in men’s singles tennis. Of course, many more are making names for themselves and male tennis is seeing a bright future on the horizon. Look out for these names and many others who will continue to challenge the legends of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
