7 youngsters who impressed the most during the 2018 tennis season

2. Karen Khachanov

Karen Khachanov

Khachanov is another Russian who won three ATP titles this year, including the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris.

His performance in all the Grand Slams was decent if not good, and his fabulous match against Rafael Nadal at the US Open was one of the best matches of the year. With his big serve and amazing forehand, he is already in the race to be a future Grand Slam winner.

Ranking at the start of the year: 45

Ranking at the end of the year: 11

Career-best ranking: 11 (November 2018)

Win-loss index in 2018: 46-22

1. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The youngster who impressed the most on the ATP tour in this year is from a country which is not particularly famous for producing tennis players. Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas just turned 20 in August this year, and people are already seeing him as a future Grand Slam winner.

Tsitsipas reached the final in Barcelona and Toronto this year, and on both occasions lost to Rafael Nadal in the final - but not before he defeated five top 10 players including Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Kevin Anderson and Novak Djokovic.

He won his first ATP title in Stockholm, and also won the Next Gen Finals in Milan - thus proving his superiority over other young players.

Ranking at the start of the year: 91

Ranking at the end of the year: 15

Career-best ranking: 15 (August 2018)

Win-loss index in 2018: 46-27

Honorable mentions: Denis Shapovalov, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini