Young Guns Finally Have Ammunition

[mrzz]

This one is easy. The answer is "not at all." The rise of these young players has nothing to do with the top 10, as they've barely played them.

Understand that we've been in a really dry spell for years now, in terms of promising youngsters.

Or let me offer some actual numbers. Here are the teenagers in the year-end top 100 going back to 2005:

2015: Coric (44), Chung (51), Kokkinakis (78), Zverev (81)
2014: Kyrgios (52), Coric (93)
2013: None
2012: None
2011: Tomic (42), Harrison (79)
2010: None (Dimitrov was 106)
2009: None
2008: Nishikori (63)
2007: Del Potro (44), Gulbis (61), Cilic (71), Korolev (80), Young (100)
2006: Djokovic (16), Murray (17), del Potro (92)
2005: Nadal (2), Gasquet (16), Monfils (30), Murray (64), Djokovic (78)

OK, as you can see, there was a cluster of teenagers in the top 100 in 2005-07, then it dwindled as those players graduated and the next generation was much weaker. But now we're seeing a much stronger young group now. In 2016, while Chung and Coric will be 20 at year's end, Zverev and Fritz will almost certainly be in the year-end top 100, and may be joined by several others - maybe Rublev, Tiafoe, and/or Paul.

Wow... one month later I am able to reply... I am a bit busy this year and probably when I checked back in the forum this thread was bit down the list... anyway, thanks for the answer, El Dude, and, yes, the numbers are clear.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, which is still 21, is gradually geting close to the top 100. After his surprise victory against Tsonga in his first ever ATP match, followed by another top 50 scalp and a win over Almagro on the two Brazilian ATP tournaments (he lost to Cuevas on both). He won today a Challenger in France, getting 110 points and climbing to #143 in the world according to the live rankings (from #338 in February). En route to the championship he beat Julien Bennetau and on the final Carlos Berlocq (who had some tough competitive matches against Nadal in recent years and is a good clay courter). I managed to watch the final on the ATP site, and I still have the same impression: he has a very good forehand that can easily put him in the top 50.

He will play the qualifying tournament at RG. I guess he makes the main draw. If he avoids the top 16 seeds in the first round, I will not be surprised to see him in round 3.