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There are many under-21 tennis players who have charged into the top 100 over the last year or so. They have brought a certain freshness to the proceedings in men's tennis, after more than a decade of dominance by the Big 4 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
The most intriguing aspect about these emerging players is that they are fearless and have not only challenged the experienced players on the tour, but have also given each other all they can handle. They are giving birth to new rivalries and forging a new era in tennis, while simultaneously giving the Big 4 a run for their money.
Here's a more detailed look at three young players made a statement in 2018:
1. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas had a tremendous season in 2018. He won the “Most improved player of the year” award from the ATP, and in general created a big slash with his brilliant shot-making.
The 20-year-old Greek was ranked 91 at the beginning of the season and has now reached up to number 15 in the world. He won 41 matches in 2018, as opposed to just four victories until 2017.
Tsitsipas won the first ATP title of his career at the Stockholm Open. By beating Ernests Gulbis in the final, the 20-year-old became the first Greek player to win an ATP title.
Tsitsipas started the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. He also made an entry in the Grand Slams at the Australian Open but lost in the first round against Denis Shapavalov.
Tsitsipas produced the best result of his career on clay by reaching the final of the Barcelona Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. Tsitsipas defeated three of the top 20 seeded players on his way to the final, and as a result of that run he entered the top 50 for the first time.
The Greek produced some of the best results on the tour in the hardcourt events before the US Open. He reached the semifinal at the Washington Open and the final of the Toronto Masters. Tsitsipas defeated four of the top 10 players in the world on the way to his first ATP 1000 Masters final in Canada.
He finished his breakthrough year by winning the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan, where he did not lose a single match.
Tsitsipas is certainly one of the top contenders to push the Big 4 off their perch, and is widely expected to enter the top 10 next season.
2. Denis Shapovalov
Shapovalov became famous in 2017 with his wins over Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but has shown more consistency this season. The Canadian improved upon his showings this season as compared to last year.
The teenager reached a career-high ranking of World No. 23 in 2018, and is currently ranked at 27. Shapovalov had received the "Newcomer of the Year" award in 2017.
He started the year by reaching the second round at the Australian Open. He then lost in the second round of Indian Wells before registering a fourth round finish at the Miami Masters.
Shapovalov started the clay-court season positively, reaching the semi-finals in the Madrid Masters tournament where he lost against Alexander Zverev in straight sets. The Canadian lost some of his momentum after that, going out to Rafael Nadal in the third round of the Rome Masters.
Shapovalov couldn't perform well in the grasscourt season, as he lost in the second round of Wimbledon against Benoit Paire. But the teenager returned to form in the summer hard-court season as he reached the third round at the Canada Open, Cincinnati Masters and the US Open.
Though Shapavalov did not win a title this year, he showed plenty of improvement in his game, and should make even further inroads next year.
3. Alex de Minaur
Alex de Minaur received the "Newcomer of the Year" award from the ATP this year. The Australian teenager rose from outside the top 200 to World number 31 in 2018, becoming one of the very few teenagers finishing the year in the top 100.
De Minaur started the year by doing well in the Australian Open warmup events, reaching the semifinal at the Brisbane Open and the final at the Sydney Open. After a promising performance in the ATP 250 series, De Minaur lost in the first round of the Australian Open against Tomas Berdych.
The Australian then did well in the ATP Challenger events, but lost in the first round at Roland Garros against Kyle Edmund. The teenager impressed everyone by reaching the third round at Wimbledon, where he lost against Rafael Nadal.
A month after that, the 19-year-old became the youngest player since Andy Murray to reach the final at the Washington Open. He made a strong run at the US Open too; he reached the third round in Flushing Meadows, where he gave a tough time to Marin Cilic and pushed him to a thrilling five-setter.
De Minaur easily qualified for the NextGen ATP finals as he reached the career-high ranking of World No. 31 in October. The Australian finished his breakthrough season at the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan, where he finished runner-up to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
De Minaur will certainly be one of the players to watch out for in the next season.
