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With the 2020 season having come to an end, it's a good time to recap which youngsters performed the best on the ATP tour during the pandemic-riddled year. Here is our pick of the top six youngsters (note: only players aged 20 or younger were considered) who made big strides in 2020, and who can be expected to go further up in 2021.
6. Thiago Seyboth Wild
Age - 20; Current Ranking - No. 116 (Highest Ranking No. 106, achieved in September 2020)
Thiago Seyboth Wild achieved a couple of firsts in the 2020 season - one memorable, and the other not so.
Just prior to the tour shutdown, a then 19-year-old Seyboth Wild won his first ATP title in Santiago, defeating Casper Ruud in the final. The win made him the youngest Brazilian ever to win an ATP title and the first tour champion born in the 2000s.
Then in late March, Seyboth Wild became the first professional tennis player to announce he had tested positive for COVID-19. But although the tour suspension and his own brush with the virus halted the Brazilian's progress, he did manage to reach an ATP Challenger final in September.
With the 2021 calendar looking likely to be reshuffled as well, Seyboth Wild might not be able to gain too many ranking points during the Latin American swing. But watch out for the young Brazilian during the claycourt stretch in Europe.
5. Sebastian Korda
Age - 20; Current Ranking - No. 118 (Highest Ranking No. 116, achieved in November 2020)
With his father being a former World No. 2 his mother a former World No. 26, Sebastian Korda could be said to have the right genes and background for professional tennis. The former junior World No. 1 and Australian Open junior champion had been climbing up the ranks steadily on the ATP Challenger tour too, before his big breakthrough at the 2020 French Open.
Korda came through the qualifying draw before winning his first ever ATP main draw match in the Roland Garros first round, but he didn't stop there. He won two more matches - including one over John Isner - before going down to his idol Rafael Nadal in the last 16.
The 20-year-old American ended the season by winning his first ATP Challenger title at Eckental, Germany, and he looks poised to break into the top 50 in 2021.
4. Lorenzo Musetti
Age - 18; Current Ranking - No. 128 (Highest Ranking No. 123, achieved in October 2020)
Lorenzo Musetti is the latest in a series of Italian teenagers rising quickly up the ranks. Musetti has jumped more than 200 spots in 2020, and looks set for another meteoric climb in 2021.
The 18-year-old made headlines by beating Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori on his way to reaching the third round of the Rome Masters. In the process, Musetti became the first player born in 2002 to win an ATP tour match.
The former junior World No. 1 also won his first ATP Challenger title - at Forli - in September, beating four top 100 players along the way. He then reached the semifinals of the ATP event in Sardinia towards the end of the year.
Reaching the ATP Finals in Turin next year may be out of reach for Musetti, but the Next Gen Finals in Milan seems like a definite possibility for the young and talented Italian.
3. Carlos Alcaraz
Age - 17; Current Ranking - No. 141 (Highest Ranking No. 136, achieved in October 2019)
The 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz had a phenomenal 2020 season, finishing as the youngest player in the top 600. The Spaniard started the season by winning 14 of his first 15 matches on the ITF Futures circuit, and ended it by winning 20 of his last 24 matches at the ATP Challenger level (bagging titles in Trieste, Barcelona and Alicante).
Alcaraz also defeated countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas on his tour debut at the 2020 Rio de Janeiro event, becoming the first player born in 2003 to win an ATP match. In the process, he also became the youngest player to win an ATP 500 match in the series history (since 2009).
The Spaniard seems poised to make a jump into the top 100 next season. It will be interesting to see how he competes against the bigger boys on the main ATP tour.
2. Jannik Sinner
Age - 19; Current Ranking - No. 37 (Highest Ranking No. 37, achieved in November 2020)
In 2019, Jannik Sinner climbed from No. 553 at the start of the season to a year-end No. 78. This year, the Italian has climbed more than 40 spots to finish the season at No. 37.
From winning his first Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open in January to reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open in September, Sinner has come a long way.
The 19-year-old ended the season on a high note by winning his first ATP singles title at the Sofia Open. That made him the youngest player to win an ATP singles title since Kei Nishikori in 2008.
The young Italian's aggressive game and steady mindset have cause many to earmark him for future Grand Slam success. It may be too soon to expect him to win a Major in 2021, but if he remains healthy Sinner looks likely to rise further up the rankings soon.
The top 20 seems well within reach, and even the top 10 is not out of the realm of possibility.
1. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Age - 20; Current Ranking - No. 21 (Highest Ranking No. 17, achieved in October 2019)
While 2020 may not have been the big breakthrough season that many were expecting from Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Canadian has managed to consolidate his position around the top 20.
Auger-Aliassime reached back-to-back finals in Rotterdam and Marseille, as well as the semi-finals in Adelaide, prior to the tour shutdown in March. The 20-year-old then made the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time in September, reaching the fourth round of the US Open.
Auger-Aliassime defeated former World No. 1 Andy Murray en route to the last 16, where he lost to eventual champion Dominic Thiem. But that breakthrough was sandwiched between first round exits at the other Majors in Australia and France.
The final stretch of the season also turned out to be a mixed bag for the Canadian. He reached the final of the ATP Cologne 1 event, and another semifinal at the ATP Cologne 2 event, before winning the Paris Masters doubles title with Hubert Hurkacz. But he ended his singles season with consecutive losses in Vienna, Paris and Sofia.
Auger-Aliassime will be hoping to end his title drought in 2021, as well as post some big results at the Slam and Masters level.
