2010s in Tennis: 3 most unorthodox ATP players of the decade

With the decade drawing to a close, the tennis circles have gone into retrospect mode. And there is a lot to look back at for both players and fans.

The decade will be best remembered for the dominant display by the Big 4 for a large part, but that is not to say that new talent ceased to emerge. Late into the 2010s, the ATP Tour saw a sleuth of next-gen stars take the spotlight.

While a Grand Slam Champion outside of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Roger Federer was a rare occurrence, these younger players found their own way of announcing their arrival.

Come the late 2010s, the younger generation led by players like Alexander Zverev, Stefano Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev took over from the old guard that included the likes of Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro, David Ferrer and Marin Cilic in challenging the top stalwarts.

Which group of players presented a better-orchestrated challenge to the Big 4 is a different debate, one that might bleed into the new decade itself. However, there were a handful of players who made an everlasting impression on the fans, not always by winning at the big stage, but by their sheer showmanship

They were not always playing the most orthodox brand of tennis but adding their own flair to the game. And that helped them connect with the audience so much better than some other more tennis players, who were winning bigger and more often.

This here is a list of the top three most unorthodox players of the decade, who not only brought something new to the table every time they stepped out on the court but also gave the viewers rallies, shots and matches that will not be easy to match up to in the near future.

#3 Nick Kyrgios

Following his breakout performance at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, where he defeated the likes to Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal to reach the quarterfinals, Nick Kyrgios has gone on to showcase his quirky brand of tennis in almost all of his outings.

Be it his causal attitude towards the most serious of match-ups, his occasional underarm serves, or his various trick shots, or the tweener that he uses more often than anybody else, Kyrgios is always looking to surprise his opponents and entertain the crowd.

These shenanigans, as they are often dubbed by media outlets and fellow players, might not always win him matches, but they do keep his unique brand of tennis alive with the audience.

He might have been higher ranked on this list, had it not been for an absence from the early 2010s (he turned pro in 2013). But on the flip side, there's plenty of tennis left in him for the coming decade.

#2 Jo Wilfred Tsonga

Do not fall for that forehand and serve. Jo Wilfried Tsonga will lure you into believing that those two are his only winning shots and then stun you with his sublime movement and extraordinary craft at the net.

While many would still believe Tsonga to be a more traditional baseline player, but that would be an erroneous assessment of Tsonga tennis. The Frenchman has one of the best frontcourt games (a rarity with the top stars, who were increasingly focusing on strengthening groundstrokes and backcourt abilities) from all the top ATP stars, but sometimes, it fades in comparison to his more obvious weapons.

That, however, should not take away from the fact Tsonga was beating the very best by playing a very complete game of tennis. While he obviously couldn't sustain in rallies like a Nadal or Djokovic, he was more than capable of taking his game to them.

What more proof would one need of Tsonga inventiveness than the fact that the former world no. 5 added a one-handed backhand to his game midway through his career because he thought it would come handy in hitting passing winners down the line.

Now if that is not a testament to a very free thinking and ever evolving player, I do not know what is.

Honorable mentions

Complementing Tsonga was the playing style of fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire, who also, despite having great groundstrokes, always looked to mix things up in the rallies.

And a shout-out to the likes of Radek Stepanek and Feliciano Lopez for keeping alive the ever-diminishing art of serve and volley.

There were a few happy distractions from the common srylyof play in the 2010s. The most notable of those was Dustin Brown, who impressed in his brief stint following the 2015 upset win over Rafael Nadal. It was a shame that we did not get to see more of him at the top level.

Lastly, it would be a disservice to not mention all the glorious one-handed backhands in the game. The list of names is long enough to not have been accommodated in this article, but with fewer players choosing to go the way, it might become an absolute rarity by the end of the 2020s. Savor it while you still can.

#1 Gael Monfils

How many times have you seen opponents stand still and look on in disbelief at an outrageous shot played off of Gael Monfils' racket from across the net? Many, many times.

One would have expected that Monfils' big bag of tricks would run out of new things at some point. And yet, outrageous things continue to happen whenever Monfils is on the court. The Frenchman has an endless list of the shot of the day/week/year to his credit and there seems to be no slowing down.

As we head into a new decade with emerging talents, Monfils remains the true showman that people look out for when in search of truly entertaining tennis. He not only makes the most unbelievable of shots to end surreal rallies but also effortlessly gets the crowd going wild.

Monfils is the most himself when he is out on a tennis court and maybe that's why people see right through him and enjoy watching him work his magic so much.

It is not clear at this point as to how long Monfils plans on extending his career for, but the time that he decides to hang up his tennis racket, whenever that is, he will leave behind a vibrant legacy as one of best showmen of tennis of all time.