The first Grand Slam of the year is just round the corner and preparations are in full swing.
There is always a sense of urgency in the first month of the season as players get only a few weeks to get some match practice under their belt.
Though these tournaments serve as preparation tournaments for the big players, for others it is a platform to shine and make headlines. These players want to build some momentum and make their presence felt. This year as well, we saw a bunch of players kicking off their campaign in perfect fashion.
Let us now look at 5 players who could be unexpected big winners at the Australian Open:
1. Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev of Germany has continued to impress fans and critics alike, all around the world. Currently ranked 24th in the world, the 19-year-old is the youngest player in the ATP top 50. He decided to start his season by competing in the Hopman Cup.
In his first singles match of the year he lost to Richard Gasquet but his next two matches were impressive.
The highlight, of course, was his match against the 17 time Grand Slam Champion, Roger Federer. Zverev played a high quality match to take out the Swiss in three competitive sets of tennis. The German flaunted his thunderous serve and power-packed baseline shots.
Coming off a successful 2016 season, during the course of which he rose in rankings from 83rd to 24, Zverev can do some real damage at the Australian Open. Even though the German has not yet gone past the 3rd round at a major, this year’s Australian Open might prove to be his breakthrough tournament.
A quarter-finals appearance or better should be the ambition for him – and he is neither short on talent nor hard work.
2. Grigor Dimitrov
“I have set myself quite high goals for the first six months, and one of them was actually to win a tournament, and it happened during the first week of the year.”
This is what Grigor Dimitrov said after winning the title at the Brisbane International, ending a 30-month trophy drought. He defeated Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori in back to back matches in the first week of the year.
If these are the signs of things to come in 2017, then Grigor looks set to make deep runs at the Grand Slams. ‘Baby Federer’, as he is called by many, is finally coming back to the form he became known for.
After a disappointing two seasons, the Bulgarian will look to silence his critics this year.
The cause of worry though is that Dimitrov neither fits in the category of upcoming players like Zverev and Thiem, nor does he fit in the category of talented players who have already made their mark on the tour. At the age of 25, time is fast running away for him. This year might be the year where he finally does justice to his talent.
3. Dominic Thiem
2016 season left us all in a dilemma regarding Thiem’s future.
Though the first half of the season indicated a future Grand Slam champion waiting to be unleashed in the Austrian, the second half showed a tired and exhausted player, and part of that is down to incorrect prioritization.
Thiem is an amazing talent – there are no two ways about it, but just talent is not enough if you wish to win a Grand Slam. To win a Grand Slam you have to win 7 consecutive best of five set matches in two weeks and this is where the mental part of the game comes into play.
The young Austrian will need to plan better and be smart in his decision making and setting priorities.
He played 26 tournaments last year, compared to 17 each by Djokovic and Murray. If Thiem can streamline his energy to crucial torunaments, then we are all set to witness one of the best stories of 2017 in Thiem.
4. Gael Monfils
Working with his new coach Mikael Tillstrom, Gael Monfils, the showman, reached great heights last season. Capping off the year with a career high ranking of 7, Monfils was a surprise package in 2016. From being an entertainer, Monfils became a consistently present name in the later stages of the tournaments.
Tennis talent has never really been the concern for the Frenchman, it was always the attitude and endurance.
With Monfils well past his peak years, everyone had counted him out of serious competition. A number of those who expected him to take his tennis seriously had lost hope especially after Monfils appeared to throw his semi-final against Novak Djokovic at the US Open last year.
However, there was a surprise in store for all of us. We saw a new found ambition and desire to win in the eyes of the 30 year old previous year.
After reaching the semi-finals stage of the U.S. Open, Monfils will look to stage another successful run at a major and extend his streak of impressive performances.
5. David Goffin
After reaching a career high ranking of 11 in the world, David Goffin will look to break into the top 10 this year. He won two ATP titles last season and reached the semi-finals stages of two masters. A quarter-finals appearance at the French Open was clearly the highlight of the season for the talented Belgian
In what could be termed one of his best victories in recent past, Goffin beat world number 1 Andy Murray at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.
At the Qatar Open, Goffin went out fighting in the second round against famed giant-killer Fernando Verdasco.
Coming off a good season, the Belgian will look to build upon his performances and make an impact at the Australian Open.
