We\u2019ve long talked about the NextGen, those upcoming players whose destiny is to be World #1. Not all have found that talked about status, and some have been waylaid by injury or players their better. But, these four teens are becoming the bane of many a champion\u2019s existence. Surely they\u2019ll spoil many a champion\u2019s chances in their own quests for titles. I predict these teenagers will one day see World #1 next to their name.<\/p>\n
Less than two years a pro, 18-year-old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime has made a name for himself on the ATP Tour. With big point tournaments coming up, expect Auger-Aliassime\u2019s ranking to climb from his current World #58 to the Top 20. Auger-Aliassime had not yet played a Top 10 player until the 2019 BNP Paribas. Unfortunately, 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas was his first Top 10 opponent \u2026 and Felix\u2019s first Top 10 win. In his post-match press conference he said he was familiar with Tsitsipas\u2019 game. \u201cHaving played him and also beat him in Juniors helped,\u201d he said. Looking ahead at his Indian Wells run, he\u2019ll play either #21 seed Bautista Agut or Japan rising star Yoshihito Nishioka. Auger-Aliassime already has experience against Nishioka, telling us \u201cI played Nishioka when I was 14.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last few weeks, Auger-Aliassime has blossomed before our eyes, finding the confidence which was the only element lacking in his game. Incredible core strength and balance allow him to hit winners when pushed into uncomfortable positions. He has a keen sense of strategy, able to course correct in real time. Strategic, powerful and mature, he\u2019s a player who is not fazed by opponents\u2019 power or consistency. They say boys can\u2019t play with men. Well, Felix Auger-Aliassime can.<\/p>\n
Making her presence known on the WTA tour is 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova. Her effortless power and Hingis style ability to change direction have allowed her to defeat some of the WTA Tour\u2019s Top 10 players. In 10 tournament appearances in 2018, she advanced to the round of 16 six times, including a semifinal appearance at the 2018 BNP Paribas in Indian Wells. This year’s appearance didn’t see her fare so well. In straight sets, she lost to Elise Mertens. Her disappointment was obvious.<\/p>\n
Anisimova seems unfazed on some of the World\u2019s biggest stages<\/a>, annihilating Angelique Kerber at the 2019 Australian Open<\/a>. Yet, her greatest successes seem to come against players whose games are more defensive, Belorussian Aryna Sabalenka notwithstanding. Power players can cause her frustration. And, that frustration seems to follow her point after point. The ebbs and flows bother her more than most. She will need some maturity to gain the Sharapova-like ability to forget the last point and command the next. It\u2019s easy to forget she\u2019s just 17 and a year and a half ago, she was playing and winning Juniors. The WTA Tour is a different league and here is where she\u2019s yet to find consistency. She is undoubtedly a champion in the making, and we\u2019ll see her champion this game \u2026 after she matures just a bit.<\/p>\n