Anyone who even remotely considers themselves a tennis fan knows that all eyes are on Carlos Alcaraz, both now and in the future. The Spanish superstar is only nineteen years old, but already finds himself second in the ATP world rankings. Holger Rune is another example of a name that quickly comes to mind when discussing up-and-coming tennis talent. Rune has also established himself in the world's top ten, and the Dane is expected to win many titles in the future.
Men's tennis is also experiencing a resurgence in the Netherlands, and with Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor, we now have two compatriots who have entered the world's top fifty. Gijs Brouwer also put himself on the map this year by defeating Rune at the ATP tournament in Rotterdam. But what about the rest of the rising tennis talent in the Netherlands? And who, along with names like Alcaraz and Rune, can be considered the rising stars of the international scene? Below, Sjeng Sports attempts to outline who, both nationally and internationally, can be considered the rising stars of tennis!
Upcoming tennis talent abroad
Both nineteen years old and both already in the world's top ten. Alcaraz and Rune may even have outgrown the label "rising tennis talent." Both the Spaniard and the Dane already have a number of major titles to their credit, and both have been known to the public for a relatively long time. The same applies, in principle, to Jannik Sinner, who—despite being around for several years and already boasting a considerable number of awards—is still "only" 21. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud (both 24) are already established names, but are also still considered younger players on the ATP tour, not to mention Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is only 22 years old.
Yet, there are also a few men who are less in the spotlight, yet are truly among the rising stars of tennis. Think, for example, of Lorenzo Musetti (ATP-21), Sinner's compatriot and also only 21 years old. In 2022, he already won two impressive ATP titles in Naples and Hamburg. Other names we'll likely hear from are the 22-year-old American Sebastian Korda (ATP-26) and the 23-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ATP-28). While Korda has already won an ATP title, Davidovich Fokina hasn't yet.
America has the future
Besides Korda, other young Americans have been making a name for themselves in the tennis action lately. For example, 20-year-old Ben Shelton (ATP-41) recently reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 Australian Open , and his compatriots Brandon Nakashima (ATP-48) and Jenson Brooksby (ATP-49) also seem to have bright futures ahead of them. Great Britain also boasts a potential top player in 21-year-old Jack Draper (ATP-56), and other names to watch in the coming years include Canadian Denis Shapovalov (23, ATP-30), Czech Jiri Lehecka (21, ATP-47), and 22-year-old Argentinian clay-court player Sebastian Baez (ATP-35).
From Jelle Sels to Alec Deckers
Besides the established names, there are of course also a number of young men in the Netherlands who can be considered among the Dutch tennis talents. We already mentioned Gijs Brouwer, who is securing participation in an increasing number of ATP tournaments, and it would be great if Tim van Rijthoven could continue the trend he set last year. He won the ATP title in Rosmalen last year by impressively defeating Taylor Fritz, Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev, among others.
Other names we might have to consider are Jelle Sels and Alec Deckers. Jelle Sels is currently ranked fifth in the Netherlands , while Alec Deckers (22) reached the semi-finals of the Dutch Championship in December 2022. Alec Deckers, who is incidentally the son of former professional Richard Krajicek, is currently ranked ninth in the Netherlands and sees other talented players like Jesper de Jong and Max Houkes just above him.
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