Sportskeeda Tennis Awards 2014: Breakthrough Players of the Year - Male

In a year which witnessed four different players winning Grand Slams, it is easy to assume that 2014 season was full of surprises. Youngsters took their opportunity with both hands as they beat much fancied opponents at Masters events and the Majors. They announced themselves on the big stage with outstanding performances under pressure. These wins will help them in the future as they look to cement their place among the elite.From new players knocking on doors to guys who tasted success after long years of perseverance, 2014 had it all.Here is the list of top 5 breakthrough players in ATP who have braved the odds:

#5 Roberto Bautista Agut

The Spaniard was ranked No. 59 in the world at the end of last season. He made rapid strides on the tour this year to reach his career-high ranking of 14. Agut registered wins against the likes of Juan Martin Del Potro, Tommy Robredo, Tomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and others in an impressive season. He won two titles TopShelf Open in Netherlands and the Stuttgart Open.

He was named ATPs Most Improved player of the year 2014.Agut has a terrific forehand and approaches the net pretty well. His aims to reach deep stages of Grand Slams come 2015.

#4 Borna Coric

Borna Coric, the Croatian prodigy, hit the headlines when he defeated his idol Rafael Nadal at the indoor courts of Basel. The 17-year-old impressed the tennis world last year when he won the juniorUS Open title. Coric qualified for a Grand Slam for the first time at flushing meadows where he defeated Lukas Rosol in straight sets.

Growing up admiring Nadal, Coric definitely has the potential and grit that Nadal displayed at his age. Coric is the youngest player in the top 100 rankings

#3 Kei Nishikori

If there is anyone on tour that can challenge the dominance of the top 3, then it has to be Kei Nishikori. The Japanese prodigy, famously known as Ninja, registered victories over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, and got injured when he was just two games from victory over Nadal on clay.

Coached by Michael Chang, Nishikori has high hopes going into the next season where he would like to clear the final hurdle to win Majors and Masters.

#2 Marin Cilic

Marin Cilic finally untapped his potential to win his first Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. What was more striking was the manner in which he won the Slam. Coached by his countryman and 2001 Wimbledon Champion, Goran Ivanesivic, Cilic displayed Gorans characteristics with his huge serves and blasting groundstrokes in his straight set victories over Berdych, Federer and Nishikori en route to US Open title victory.

The Croat also qualified for the ATP World Tour finals for the first time in his career. He is seen as a threat by the top five players after his breakthrough performance on the tour. He came close on two occasions in beating Djokovic at the French Open and Wimbledon, but the Serb had enough reserves to thwart his challenge.

#1 Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka had a dream run in 2014. He won his first Grand Slam title by beating defending champion Novak Djokovic in quarterfinal and then World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the final of Australian Open. With the victory, Wawrinka also broke into the top 3 rankings for the first time. After living in the shadow of his compatriot Roger Federer for most of his career, Wawrinka raced ahead of Federer for the first time in ATP Rankings and became the Swiss No. 1.

His ranking vis--vis Federer was justified when Wawrinka defeated Federer for the first time in six years at the Monte Carlo Masters Final to win his first ever Masters title. Wawrinkas first-evers did not end there. After being committed to his Davis Cup team for all his professional life, he helped Switzerland win their first Davis Cup title this year.