Yes, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are dominating headlines right now with possibly one of the greatest rivalries in the history of tennis. But, saying that, who and where are the next generation of champions?
A few players and names to watch over the next few years are Jonathan Eysseric who I am sure you remember gave Andy Murray the scare of his life at this year’s French Open by taking him to five sets. Eysseric is a former world No. 1 junior who is currently ranked No. 378 and just won a futures event (France F11). He is 18 years old. He has been a favorite of Federer to practice with as he is a lefty but I would not be surprised if Fed is also keeping an eye on him.
Kei Nisihikori blew onto the scene by beating James Blake and winning his first ATP title at the Millenium Tennis Championships – Delray Beach this year as a qualifier. Kei has risen as high as No. 99 on the rankings but I see him within the top 60 by years end. Kei has incredible ground strokes but will need to work on his serve and conditioning to really make a run at the top 20. Kei is 19 years old and a name to watch.
Ricardis Barankis is another former world No. 1 junior who is having a great year on the pro tour, he has improved his ranking by nearly 300 spots from April 7th to July 14 from 750 to a current 471. Ricardis is very talented and beats most players with smarts. He will have to overcome his smaller frame but bigger is not always better on the pro tour nowadays. Ricardis is 18 years old.
Last but not least is a player from France named Alexandre Sidorenko who is originally from Russia. Alex is a former world No. 3 junior and an Australian Open junior champion who has been making nice progress on the men’s circuit. Alex has improved his ranking by 140 spots since April to a career high of No. 211. Alex has a big game and I hope to see him within the top 100 by the middle of 2009.
These are just a few names to look for but watch closely as they are coming fast, I bet Nadal and Federer know who these guys are, James Blake and Andy Murray certainly do.
Cheers.