- Joined
- Apr 14, 2013
- Messages
- 10,326
- Reactions
- 6,092
- Points
- 113
The basic idea of this thread is to look for, and discuss, any players that seem to be stepping up a notch--on whatever level, age, and degree. In other words it isn't only "young guns" (although often/usually will be), nor does it have to be a major breakout or even a potential future elite.
Over the last couple years a lot has been spoken about Borna Coric, Alex Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, and Dominic Thiem--and more recently this year, Lucas Pouille--but we tend to talk about these guys after they make a big leap. I'd also like to look for those players who seem just on the cusp of a big leap.
Several players come to mind:
19-year old Jared Donaldson, who turns 20 in October and is thus about a month older than Borna Coric and a year older than Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev, and half a year older than Alex Zverev, just had the biggest win of his career, I'd say, upsetting David Goffin at the US Open. Donaldson has been stuck in "Quali-Challenger Limbo" for quite some time, having won his first and only Challenger title back in January of 2015 and jumping to #178 (from #251). It looked like the then-18-year old was about to start rising quickly. But he has bounced around in the 140ish to 180ish range for over a year and a half, and he looked truly stagnant.
But Donaldson's recent performance shows signs of a legit breakthrough, including defeats of ATP veterans like Fabio Fognini at the Rogers Cup and Nicolas Almagro at the Cincinnati Masters. Beating #14 Goffin at the US Open is his biggest win yet, and pushes him on the cusp of the top 100 in the live rankings (#104). While I don't expect Donaldson to be an elite player, he does seem like he has a very good chance of ending the year well into the top 100, which will also provide him with direct entry into Grand Slams. 2017 could be a big year for him.
Similarly ranked and aged Karen Khachanov, who turned 20 in May, has also been playing well of late, including a live ranking of #78, after his first round win at the US Open. Khachanov's rise has been slow and steady. After winning five Futures in late 2014 and early 2015, he broke into the top 200 in July of 2015, continuing his rise and winning two Challengers before reaching the top 100 in June of this year. Like Donaldson, he's unlikely to be an elite but he does seem like a good candidate to continue to rise for the next year or two. Whether he stabilizes as a top 20-30 type or reaches the top 10 remains to be seen.
A third that should be mentioned is Kyle Edmund. He turned 21 in January so is a bit older. He reached the top 100 a year ago and has been stuck in the 80ish-100ish range since, but he could be ready to make another jump.
All three are candidates to "do a Pouille" next year (who "did a Thiem" this year). Pouille finished 2015 at #78 and is currently #25, so in 2016 so far went from being a fringe top 100 player to seeded at Slams. I'm not sure if those three will be seeded a year from now, but they all bear watching.
Over the last couple years a lot has been spoken about Borna Coric, Alex Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, and Dominic Thiem--and more recently this year, Lucas Pouille--but we tend to talk about these guys after they make a big leap. I'd also like to look for those players who seem just on the cusp of a big leap.
Several players come to mind:
19-year old Jared Donaldson, who turns 20 in October and is thus about a month older than Borna Coric and a year older than Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev, and half a year older than Alex Zverev, just had the biggest win of his career, I'd say, upsetting David Goffin at the US Open. Donaldson has been stuck in "Quali-Challenger Limbo" for quite some time, having won his first and only Challenger title back in January of 2015 and jumping to #178 (from #251). It looked like the then-18-year old was about to start rising quickly. But he has bounced around in the 140ish to 180ish range for over a year and a half, and he looked truly stagnant.
But Donaldson's recent performance shows signs of a legit breakthrough, including defeats of ATP veterans like Fabio Fognini at the Rogers Cup and Nicolas Almagro at the Cincinnati Masters. Beating #14 Goffin at the US Open is his biggest win yet, and pushes him on the cusp of the top 100 in the live rankings (#104). While I don't expect Donaldson to be an elite player, he does seem like he has a very good chance of ending the year well into the top 100, which will also provide him with direct entry into Grand Slams. 2017 could be a big year for him.
Similarly ranked and aged Karen Khachanov, who turned 20 in May, has also been playing well of late, including a live ranking of #78, after his first round win at the US Open. Khachanov's rise has been slow and steady. After winning five Futures in late 2014 and early 2015, he broke into the top 200 in July of 2015, continuing his rise and winning two Challengers before reaching the top 100 in June of this year. Like Donaldson, he's unlikely to be an elite but he does seem like a good candidate to continue to rise for the next year or two. Whether he stabilizes as a top 20-30 type or reaches the top 10 remains to be seen.
A third that should be mentioned is Kyle Edmund. He turned 21 in January so is a bit older. He reached the top 100 a year ago and has been stuck in the 80ish-100ish range since, but he could be ready to make another jump.
All three are candidates to "do a Pouille" next year (who "did a Thiem" this year). Pouille finished 2015 at #78 and is currently #25, so in 2016 so far went from being a fringe top 100 player to seeded at Slams. I'm not sure if those three will be seeded a year from now, but they all bear watching.
:lolz::laydownlaughing
clap:clap
