1. Juan Martin del Potro (born September 1988, ranked 78)

The youngest player in the top 100, Del Potro isn’t really what you would expect from your typical South American. Standing a formidable 6ft 5in, his game is most effective on hard and grass courts due to a potent serve and strong ground strokes, especially on the forehand side. However, due to his deceptive agility, his results on clay are also impressive; a three-set victory over fellow Argentinian Juan Ignacio Chela stands out. Other notable scalps include Carlos Moya, Mikhail Youzhny and Marcos Baghdatis – the latter pair at Miami this year. 

At 18, he is still growing into his frame, so expect more power from his game in the future. It is also crucial that he plays to his natural strength; his service needs to be a sizeable weapon, second serve included. As mentioned, his movement is good for his size but will never be on a par with guys around six-feet, like Rafael Nadal, so he will need to keep rallies short and sweet for his own sake.

"At 18, [Del Potro] is still growing into his frame, so expect more power from his game in the future"


2. Marin Cilic (born September 1988, ranked 115)

Five days younger than Del Potro, Cilic has more similarities with the Argentinian than just their date of birth. Another member of the  6ft 5in club, the Croatian is everything you would expect from a country that has produced Goran Ivanisevic, Mario Ancic and Karlovic. Fortunately for Cilic, he has far more to his game than the effective but thoroughly limited Karlovic.

Like Del Potro, Cilic possesses a big first serve and impressive ground strokes. His 2005 Junior French Open title (defeated Andy Murray in the semis) serves as evidence that he has the game to progress on tour and his performance at Queens Club brought his excellent qualities to light.

Despite being a former world junior No.1, Cilic has not had as much experience on the main tour as Del Potro, but is equally capable of achieving great things. Likewise, his second serve and inconsistencies will only improve from playing quality players on the men's circuit.

3. Evgeny Korolev (born February 1988, ranked 82)

Often referred to as ‘Anna Kournikova’s cousin’ by the media, the talented Russian will be hoping to impress the tennis world with his on-court activities, unlike his famous relative. Having shunned the junior circuit, Korolev picked up his first ATP points at a challenger tournament, aged 15. Playing the men’s events from such an early age may have indeed helped the youngster’s development and he has since racked up notable wins over Carlos Moya, James Blake and fellow comrades Nikolay Davydenko and Dimitry Tursunov.

Known for his baseline game, Korolev displays great strength from both wings, but perhaps lacks variation in his ‘machine-like’ play. His balance and movement are solid but improvements to his serve and more intelligent match play would do him no harm. Expect to hear more about this tough young Russian’s exploits next year, especially in the hard and clay-court arenas.

4. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (born April 1985, ranked 76)

Yes he’s older, but after almost three years of injuries, Tsonga makes it onto this list due to his massive talent and because he was robbed of any chance to develop when he was 18/19 years of age.

Previously ranked No.2 in the junior world rankings and winner of the 2003 Junior US Open (defeated Marcos Baghdatis in the final), Tsonga has become the forgotten man amongst his peers. The French-born Muhammad Ali lookalike initially broke through with his fellow countryman Gael Monfils at the Paris Masters in 2004, beating Ancic before his injury nightmare began.

His poor fitness has severely limited his play and until recently he was only ever able to get his ranking high enough for challenger events. This year, however, he has come back with a bang, beating Lleyton Hewitt on grass and reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon.

It would not be an exaggeration to describe Tsonga as one of the most naturally gifted players in the game. Exciting, explosive and completely uninhibited, he also possesses one of the most devastating serves on tour. However, he is also a player who thrives on confidence. Like his friend Monfils, question marks have been raised about what exactly goes on between his ears at times, due to the fact that he appears to play every point with the same care-free abandon.

Certainly a great talent, but at times a coach’s nightmare.

5. Donald Young (born July 1989, ranked 232)

The level of hype and expectation that has been thrown in the direction of this young American is quite extraordinary. At just 18, many critics have outrageously branded Young an under-achiever. This comes despite the fact that he is the youngest junior world No.1 of all time and the winner of junior Wimbledon and Australian Open titles.

Unlike Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey, Young possesses the all-court game that could see him become the champion the States has been crying out for since the retirements of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. With tremendous ground strokes from either side, excellent speed around the court and an admirable winning mentality, the only thing that has held back his progress is his slow physical development and the fact that he entered certain ATP events too early.


Let’s hope he doesn’t become a victim of his own success.