Men's tennis: 5 players who could win their first Grand Slam title in 2019

Karen Khachanov

Rolex Paris Masters - Day Seven

Karen Khachanov is arguably one of the most unorthodox tennis players on tour. A strapping 6ft 6in power hitter with fleet movement on the court, he is the biggest male talent to come from Russia since Marat Safin. It is no surprise to see the 22-year-old model his game around that of Safin, his childhood hero.

His biggest highlight in 2018 was ending Novak Djokovic’s 22-match winning streak in Bercy thus winning his first Masters 1000 title of his burgeoning career.

Khachanov is yet to move past the fourth round of a Grand Slam, but that is partly due to his inexperience on the big stage, and some really hard draws. However, there can be no doubting his abilities.

2019 promises to be a big year for the big-hitting Russian who could enjoy some Grand Slam success.

Borna Coric

Rolex Paris Masters - Day Four

It seems like a distant memory when a 17-year-old Borna Coric burst on to the scene in Basel four years ago, stunning Rafael Nadal in straight sets. While Coric has made enormous progress in terms of his ranking over the last two years, his inconsistency in Grand Slam matches has shown that there is work to be done.

Coric boasts a very impressive resume, with victories over Nadal, Federer, Wawrinka, Zverev, and Murray under his belt. He is currently ranked number 12, which is his career best till date. He reached his first Masters 1000 final this past season, losing to an in-form Novak Djokovic in Shanghai.

The Croat beat Roger Federer in the Halle final, a key indicator that his game does also suit the grass courts, but he is most likely to win his maiden Grand Slam on the hard courts of Melbourne or New York.