Several of the players on the current ATP circuit are still teenagers and defeating legends of the sport. German teen star Alexander Zverev defeating World No. 3 Roger Federer at the semi-finals of the Gerry Weber Open this week, played on grass, a surface Federer has, over the years, truly claimed as his own.
A week before that, the Swiss Maestro was ousted at the finals of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, by another of tennis’ quickest rising talents.
Here’s a look at where 5 of the fastest young movers of tennis today will be in the next 5 years.
#5 Borna Coric
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Like many on this list,1996-born Croat ace Borna Coric is a former Juniors World No. 1. He made his international debut for Croatia at the country’s Davis Cup tie at only 16 years old, and would go on to be a regular fixture on the country’s Davis Cup side.
At 17, Coric played the Swiss Indoors Tournament in Basel, a favoured tournament of grass court champion Roger Federer, and a home tournament for the Swiss ace. Up against the giant Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the event, a teenage Coric played confident, strong tennis to keep his cool and take victory over the Spaniard – in straight sets.
He would end up breaking a record held by Nadal in his run up to the semi-finals in Basel, becoming the youngest ever player, at seventeen, in the ATP top 100. That year, he would also receive the ATP Star of Tomorrow award; and spent the next year proving he was deserving of it.
His biggest win yet came at the quarter-finals of the 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships, where he not only defeated, but routed Andy Murray in straight sets – 6-1, 6-3, eventually losing himself to Roger Federer.
Coric has not only beaten both Nadal and Murray at his young age, but beaten them both in straight sets.
He ended 2015 ranked 44th but has since dropped to 49; despite lacking the wins to keep his rankings as high as they were earlier, the 20-year-old has shown tenacity and an ability to take wins over far higher-ranked players.
A confident baseliner, Coric has been described by various analysts as ‘Baby Djokovic’ for his style of play and strength from the baseline. He has upset several good players already through the 2016 season, and although he had a first round departure at the Australian Open, he did better at Roland Garros, finishing at the round of 32 after a couple of well-fought wins.
With youth and fitness both on his side, Coric should be be able to improve his play over the remaining year. If he can, he is en route to becoming a top 5 player in the near future.
#4 Jack Sock
23-year-old Jack Sock has impressed at both Grand Slams so far this year. With a special standout for his display of sportsmanship at his 2016 singles tie against former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt at the Hopman Cup this year, Sock was noticed not only for the finesse in his game, but also his class on court.
With his extremely fast serves, Sock has been on the radar of several tennis analysts.
His success saw him win the 2010 US Open boys’ title, having entered the tournament as a wild card at the age of 17.
Sock has seen success at the singles and the doubles, and has already won two Grand Slam titles – one at 18 in the mixed doubles at the US Open, partnered by compatriot Melanie Oudin.
Three years later, Sock saw success on the grass courts of Wimbledon in the doubles, where he won the title with Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.
He broke the top 25 ATP rankings last year, and winning the men’s clay court championships, he defeated four top seeded players on the way to his title win.
Sock, known for his strong baseline play, has displayed aggressive groundstrokes and quick service. Last seen on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Sock recently crashed out in the round of 32 to Spaniard Albert Ramos Vinolas, but taxed his rival and took a set off him early on in the pair’s match, an even bigger feat considering clay is Ramos-Vinolas’ favoured surface.
The young player stands out for his composure on court and his humour, which is reminiscent of Serbian World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. His ability to keep his cool during play will stand him in good stead in the future, and will see him in the top 5 in the next 5 years.
#3 Nick Kyrgios
Although he has come to notoriety for his attitude and behaviour both on and off court, few will deny the immense talent of the Australian youngster. The former World No. 1 Juniors player has a juniors Grand Slam title to his name, winning the 2013 Australian Open juniors title at 18 years old.
Only two years ago, Kyrgios won his first two Challenger titles in quick succesion in 2014, which was his annus mirabilis. Only 19-years-old, Kyrgios pulled off a victory over Rafael Nadal on his Wimbledon debut in 2014.
He ended that year on a high, the 2nd best ranked Australian player behind the youngest ever World No.1 in tennis history – Lleyton Hewitt.
2015 saw Kyrgios defeat yet another giant, and one he has mentioned as one of his idols, iconic former No. 1 Roger Federer, on the hardcourts of the Miami Masters.
He has been rising quickly this year, winning the first ATP title of his career at France’s Open 13; a tournament he won without a single break of serve.
The youngster has had a strong rivalry going with World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka, and Borna Coric, who has been described as ‘Baby Djokovic’ for his strong baseline play and serve.
Kyrgios tested Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters this year, played on the Spaniard’s favourite surface – clay, and scalping a set off the former No. 1.
He exited the French Open in 2016 in the Round of 32 after a straight-set loss to French player Richard Gasquet, but came back to again tax recurrent rival Milos Raonic at the Queen’s Club Championships, a grasscourt tournament ahead of Wimbledon, scalping a set off the Canadian.
If he can show consistency, Kyrgios, who is already the youngest player in the ATP Top 20, can definitely make the top 5 in the near future, and given his youth and fitness, should be able to sustain his form.
#2 Alexander Zverev
Alexander ‘Sascha’ Zverev may be only 19 years old, but he's already beating the best in the business. He pulled off a stunning victory over Roger Federer on the Swiss’ favoured surface, grass, last week at the semi-finals of the Gerry Weber Open.
The young German player comes from a tennis-loving family. His father, Alexander Zverev Snr, competed on the professional circuit for the erstwhile Soviet Union in the 1980s, even participating on the Davis Cup squad.
It wouldn’t be the first time Zverev would be ranked with the best; the youngster was the juniors World No. 1 through 2014 and 2015. He hit his stride only last year, when he began defeating players much higher-ranked than himself.
Last year, he defeated former top-10 player Kevin Anderson of South Africa among a number of players, with even his losses coming fairly closely. He reached his career-highest ranking in 2015, breaking the ATP top 100.
He has already defeated several higher-ranked players this year, and done so successfully across surfaces. He appears to have the most ease on hardcourts, beating Grigor Dimitrov – himself once dubbed ‘Baby Federer’ for his playing style, Ivan Dodig and French ace Gilles Simon.
2016 has been Zverev’s best year yet – only his second year on the ATP circuit. He reached his first ATP final this year, losing to Dominic Thiem, at whose hands he would again lose at his third round match.
Could their rivalry be one of the new iconic ones in the future of tennis? Zverev’s star has been rising, and after his victory over Federer more people have sat up to take notice of the youngster, who is now in the top 30 – and the youngest there.
#1 Dominic Thiem
Only 22-years-old, Dominic Thiem is already a top 10 player, reaching his career-highest rank of 7th in the ATP rankings this month. The 1993-born Austrian player already has seven ATP titles to his name, and only 5 years ago won the prestigious juniors’ singles title at the Orange Bowl.
Three years after that win, Thiem had already progressed to his first ever ATP final after putting in a solid performance in the main draw of Wimbledon 2012.
Thiem took arguably the most significant victory of his career till that point that same year, when he beat that year’s Australian Open winner, Swiss ace Stan Wawrinka, at the clay court Mutua Madrid Open – a strong surface for Wawrinka, and one he would go on to win a grand slam title at the following year.
In his first ever US Open appearance in 2014, Thiem managed a 4th round finish before eventually exiting the tournament.
2016 has been a particularly fruitful year for the youngster, who has already taken four ATP titles this year and looks in prime position to win more.
If he goes on in the form he is currently displaying, he could very well take over the top spot from Novak Djokovic by 2020. He seriously taxed the top-ranked, in-form Novak Djokovic in Miami, losing out eventually on his inability to convert break points – an issue that has repeatedly troubled the youngster.
He recently finished in the semi-finals of the Gerry Weber open, losing to eventual champion Florian Mayer.
Dominic Thiem has all the earmarks of a future world No. 1, and could well hold that post in 2020.
