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The majestic phase, also known as the “Big 4” in tennis, set by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray seems to be coming to an end. It was expected to happen at some point or the other, but, much to the disappointment of many people, it looks like that it is going to happen soon. Meanwhile, in women's tennis, even though it is not as consistent as men’s tennis, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova’s dominance looks to be coming to an end.Even though Federer is playing like a youngster currently, he is growing old, and the world will miss his magic in a few years from now. Nadal has been plagued by injuries recently and we have to wait and watch whether he can make a winning return after a surgery to his appendix. Djokovic is looking really strong, but has recently had a lot of personal commitments as he has just become a father. Murray has had an extremely disappointing season as he in the race to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. The U.S Open 2014 final between Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori was the first time in 9 years that one of the “big 4” did not appear in the final. The past 2 years or so has seen many a players who have been on the rise and have had some brilliant, consistent results over the past 2 years. They pose a major threat to the “BIg 4” of men’s tennis, and probably the “Big 2” of Women’s tennis. Here is a list of the probable next big stars in tennis ( men and women ).
#5 Grigor Dimitrov
It would such an honour and a big compliment to be compared to a young Federer, and also nicknamed “Baby Federer”. This is something which the big Bulgarian has earned over the years with his style of play and the success he has had. Dimitrov started off his tennis career by winning the Junior Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S Open in 2008. His style of play is very attacking and he got dubbed as baby Federer as early as the age of 16.
Dimitrov became the highest ranked Bulgarian tennis player, ranked no. 85 in January 2011 after reaching the second round of the Australian Open where he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka. It took Grigor some time to make his mark as he won his first ATP title in 2013.
His good run in 2013 made him reach the top 30 for the first time after the Monte Carlo Masters. His biggest win of his career came when he beat Novak Djokovic in 3 sets in the Mutua Madrid Open. It was at the Stockholm Open where Dimitrov won his first ATP title by defeating top seed David Ferrer in the final, coming back from a set down, becoming the first ever male Bulgarian player in the Open era to win such a title.
2014 was the best year for him where he won 3 titles on 3 different surfaces. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, semifinals of Wimbledon, after which he broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
He is currently at no. 11 in the world and has an outside chance to qualify for the World Tour Finals, but one can expect big things from the big Bulgarian in the future.
#4 Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic did not win any junior titles,but quickly rose to prominence at the senior level.
In 2011, he burst onto the scene, when he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open as a qualifier, the first person to ever do so. He was also the first Canadian in 10 years to reach the 3rd round of a Grand Slam. He defeated Michael Llodra, Mikhail Youzhny and Bjorn Phau and eventually lost to David Ferrer in 4 sets. He was referred to as the “real deal” by John McEnroe after that Australian Open.
Raonic won his first ATP Title at the SAP Open in 2011 beating Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 7-5 in the finals. He rose from No. 152 in the world to No. 37 in just one month after the Australian Open. He won his 2nd and 3rd ATP titles in 2012, in the form of the Chennai Open and the SAP Open. He had good, consistent results in the grand slams as well.
He entered the top 10 for the first time in 2013 after reaching the finals of the Masters Series in Montreal in 2013.
His breakthrough performance came in 2014 Wimbledon where he reached the semi-finals of the tournament before falling to 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, and reached a career-high ranking of no. 6.
His serve is arguably the best in the world and he has a good overall game as well, even though he is not too quick on the court. He is definitely one to look out for in the future. He is currently at no. 9 and is in the race to qualify for the World Tour Finals.
#3 Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios, the 19 year old Australian made his mark at the junior level by winning the Wimbledon juniors title in 2013. It was not long before he made a mark at the senior stage as well.
He announced himself on the world stage when he beat former world No 8 Radek Stepanek in the first round of the French Open last year. He is regarded as 'the next big thing' in Australia with Leyton Hewitt nearing the end of his career. He lost to David Ferrer in the first round of the U.S Open that year. He continued to show the world what he is capable of in the Australian Open this year, falling short in a thrilling 5 setter against Frenchman Benoit Paire. He had won the first 2 sets, but he began to cramp up and eventually lost.
His breakthrough result, though, came in Wimbledon, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in 4 sets in the 4th round with some strong serving and exceptional play all around the court. He went on to lose against Milos Raonic in the quarter finals.
His phenomenal serve and imposing athleticism is something to look out for in the future as he looks to break into the top 10 next year.
#2 Eugenie Bouchard
The 20-year-old Canadian came into the scene after her Junior Wimbledon title in 2012 with a victory over third seed Elina Svitolina. She became the first Canadian ever, junior or pro, to win a Grand Slam in singles. She also won the doubles title for the second straight year, this time with American Taylor Townsend, after beating Belinda Bencic and Ana Konjuh in the final. She continued to have some success in the WTA tour that year in the Citi Open and the Rogers Cup.
Bouchard had an average year on court in 2013, having some notable success where she beat the likes of Ana Ivanovic in the Wimbledon 2nd round and beat Samantha Stosur earlier that year. She had a brilliant run in the Premier Five tournament where she beat Monica Puig, Sloane Stephens and Jelena Jankovic before losing to Venus Williams.
She had a lot of breakthrough performances in 2014, where she made it further than anyone else from Canada ever has at Wimbledon, by reaching the finals. She performed exceptionally well in the Australian Open and French Open too, reaching the semi-finals of both the tournaments. She became the first WTA player to make the semifinals of the first three Grand Slams of the season since Dinara Safina in 2009, and guaranteed her first ever top 10 WTA ranking following the tournament.
Her season came to an end a few days ago, where she got eliminated in the round robin stage of the WTA Tour Finals.
#1 Simona Halep
Simona Halep burst onto the scene after winning the Roland Garros junior title in 2008. She had a series of successes after that title. She then had a breast reduction surgery done when she was just 18, she spent her early years struggling to string together solid results. Critics and fans started to write her off, but she came back with a bang in the Premier Five tournament in Rome last year, defeating the likes of Agnieszka Radwanska, Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the process.
In 2013, Halep won 23 consecutive matches, excluding retirements, at non-majors during one stretch, and her trophy haul surpassed all other women in 2013 except Serena Williams. She won a title on every surface last season. Halep’s ranking rose from No. 64 in May 2013 to No. 11 at the start of 2014.
She started off her career with a defensive style of play who won matches by capitalizing on her opponent’s mistakes and simply outlasting them, Halep’s play in the last few tournaments has seen her game hit new levels of aggressiveness.
Continuing on with her success in 2014, she reached the French Open finals where she lost to Maria Sharapova and also reached the semi- finals of Wimbledon.
She entered the WTA Tour Finals ranked no. 4 and she probably just had the best result of her career when she thrashed world no. 1 Serena Williams 6-0, 6-2.
Halep is definitely here for the long run and it looks like she is going to be the next big thing in Women’s tennis.
