Wimbledon 2013: Top 5 young players to watch out for

The grandest of all Grand Slams is here and even though all the talk in the town has been around the top seeds, there are always a few young players on the block looking to grab the headlines with an upset. The experience of playing at Wimbledon will not be the first for many of these players but they are still on a lookout for their breakthrough year when they can storm into the last eight and announce themselves to the world.

The top four players in the men’s singles game – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – form a closed group as of now and are only mildly challenged by any other player. The younger players on the circuit have a long road ahead of them before they can compete at that level, but they can push into the top 10 and give us competitive matches in the 3rd and 4th rounds of the biggest events and develop from there. There is a little more space for penetration in the women’s singles game where experience continues to trounce youth as the likes of Wozniacki and Lisicki have shown purpose without winning Grand Slam events. Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka form the apex of women’s tennis at the moment.

Here is a look at some of these young players who will be exhibiting their talent at Wimbledon 2013.

Milos Raonic

The 22-year-old Canadian, who turned pro in 2008, has now won a 100-career matches but is yet to light the Wimbledon with his abilities. He made his exit in the 2nd round last year but has shown better form since reaching the 4th round at the US Open last year as well as at the Australian open this year. He is threatening to break into the top 10 and his game is characterized by power and exceptionally fast first serve. He has suffered a slight dip in form ahead of Wimbledon but he remains a talent to watch out for.

Kei Nishikori

The Japanese is becoming comfortable in his senior shoes as he lies just outside the top 10. He’s had a good start to the year, making the 4th round at both the Grand Slams that have been contested this year. He made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last year and has been on the verge of a similar performance since. He played Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal in exhibition matches ahead of the Wimbledon and would have learnt a bit from the experience.

Grigor Dimitrov

The 22-year-old Bulgarian has impressed this year and has broken into the top 30, and while it may still be some time before he can threaten the big guns, he is an exciting talent on the circuit. He reached his first ATP tour final this year at Brisbane International and lost out to Andy Murray. He burst onto the scene with a junior level victory at Wimbledon in 2008, earning comparisons with Roger Federer and a nickname – ‘Baby Fed’.

Sloane Stephens

At the age of 20, Sloane Stephens is just participating in her second Wimbledon event but she has had a steep rise in the women’s singles game. She defeated Serena Williams, then world no. 3, in the quarter finals to reach the semi-finals where she ultimately went down to Victoria Azarenka. She backed up that performance with a 4th round finish at Roland Garros and will be high on confidence as she enters Wimbledon for the second time. The future of American tennis seems to be in secure hands as a number of other young players like Madison Keys are also in queue.

Laura Robson

She won the Wimbledon Junior girl’s tournament in 2008 and has been making consistent appearance at the Grand Slam events. She was one of Sloane Stephen’s victims at the Australia Open this year in a match that could have gone either way if not for a shoulder injury that she sustained. She made the 4th round of the US open last year and is likely to have a lot of support at the grass court event this year. She has joined forces with Andy Murray’s former coach Miles Maclagan and it remains to be seen if he can bring the same level of success for this youngster.