Analysis of the ATP's top prospects in 2013

1. Kei Nishikori – 2013 Ranking 13

When people talk about prospects, names like Raonic and Dimitrov often are bounded about, but Kei Nishikori is often overlooked simply because he’s been around for a long time. But the fact is that Nishikori is still a young man in tennis terms and will only turn 24 at the end of the year. Like Ferrer, his consistent baseline play means that he can beat anyone if they are even slightly misfiring. He just needs to cut down on the number of unforced errors that sometimes creep into his game if he is to become a top 10 player – just one place above his current ranking of 11. He doesn’t have a weak surface and has reached the quarter finals of the Australian Open in the past. If he can maximise his ability like Ferrer, he has the talent and extra power to become a threat to the top players.

Nishikori’s problem is that also like Ferrer, he is so small compared to the giants or Raonic and Janowicz, and so doesn’t have the weapons that are often cited as the tools to beat a top player. Although he has the all round game needed to be stay at the top end of the game, he simply doesn’t have the power needed to beat a Djokovic or Nadal in the semi finals of a Grand Slam when these sort of players just come up with shots that are beyond extra ordinary. Nishikori may not be the next Djokovic or Murray but he certainly can become the next Ferrer. Someone who is always there making life for players like Dimitrov hell.