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Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017: ATP

After an exciting and unpredictable year of tennis, EXPERIENCE is looking back at some of the year's best moments in our 2017 "Top 10" series. Today we highlight the top 10 rising stars in mens tennis. Our age criteria for being a "rising star": must be 23 years of age or younger. As you'll see, we rank these players not just by their season ending ranking, but by overall impact at big events and potential going forward. So while some players ranked inside the top 100 don't make this list, that's not because they aren't great players. We feel that these 10 showed the most improvement in 2017.

By: Joey Hanf

10. Casper Ruud
Norway, ATP #139
Age: 18 years, 11 months

That last name sound familiar? Well, Casper's father Christian Ruud is the most successful play in Norwegian history, reaching a career high ranking of #39 back in 1995. Casper's future appears potentially even brighter. Although he struggled in the second half of the season, Ruud still climbed almost 100 places in the rankings this season. His game is predicated on his excellent athletic ability, heavy forehand and perhaps most notably, his mental game. His biggest result came in February where he reached the semifinals of an ATP 500 event in Rio De Janeiro, taking out three clay court specialists in the process. His biggest area of improvement going forward? Consistently on a week to week basis.

9. Corentin Moutet
France, ATP #156
Age: 18 years, 7 months

Probably the most under the radar player on our list, Moutet moved nearly 400 places up in the rankings in 2017. He did so on the back of three futures titles and his first career ATP Challenger title in Brest late in the season. He beat another player on this list in that final, Stefanos Tsitsipas. Moutet is another fantastic athlete, and he has to use every bit of it as he stands at only 5'9. He's a lefty, which helps him on serve to makeup for his lack of height, but that part of his game can still improve. He's got nice feel like almost every French player does. Most impressive from his 2017 was his ability to play well on all surfaces; all of his futures titles were on clay while his best results in challengers were on indoor hard courts. No. 1 challenge for Moutet in 2018 will be adjusting to higher level competition.

8. Jared Donaldson
United States, ATP #54
Age: 21 years, 2 months

One of two Americans on this list, Donaldson had a solid but not spectacular 2017. His major breakthrough rankings wise actually came two years ago. After a sluggish 2016, the Rhode-Island native solidified his place on the tour. He played almost exclusively ATP World Tour events throughout the year, which is impressive in it's own right. If it weren't for a bad last three months of the year, Donaldson would probably would have been in contention for a seed at the Australian Open. Still, he reached his first career Masters 1000 QF and showed that he could put solid weeks together back-to-back, something he struggled with in the past. His game is big; flat strokes and an above average serve allow him to often dictate play. Donaldson, the USTA and his coaches know the key to continual success will be improved movement, balance and shot selection on court.

7. Cameron Norrie
Great Britain, ATP #114
Age: 22 years, 3 months

The oldest player on this list, Norrie isn't really a "true" 22 year old. He played three years of college tennis at TCU, including an absolutely dominant 2017 spring season where he went 22-1 in dual match play. After turning pro in May, Norrie exploded onto the scene, picking up his first ATP World Tour win in Eastbourne before reeling off three ATP Challenger tour victories. Another lefty, Norrie grew up in New Zealand before his family moved to the U.K. His game is marked by steady play. He rarely misses a ball, and both his forehand and backhand are very compact. He competes extremely well and has shown in college and in the pros that he is very good in pressure moments. To make a serious jump again in 2018, he will need to continue building a more aggressive game to match tour level players.

6. Felix Auger-Aliassime
Canada, ATP #162
Age: 17 years, 3 months

In this writer's opinion, Auger-Aliassime has the highest ceiling of any player on this list. The Canadian has long broken "youngest to win ___" records, and made a nice rankings jump in 2017, up roughly 440 places. Just over 17 years old, Felix is not only a natural athlete, but he is also a beast in the gym. From all accounts of fellow players and coaches, Auger-Aliassime truly loves tennis and will put in the work necessary to be elite. Don't believe me? Well, Roger Federer invited the young Canadian to Dubai this offseason for a two-week training session. His picked up his first two ATP Challenger titles in 2017, both on what I would consider his worst surface; clay. His aggressive game translates to all surfaces, and he is one of the best young players at moving forward in the court and putting the ball away at net. Auger-Aliassime, like many youngsters, stumbled over the last couple months of the year. His biggest challenge will be blocking out outside expectation; plenty of folks in tennis believe he is going to be great.

5. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Greece, ATP #91
Age: 19 years, 3 months

The one handed backhand is alive and well even in the younger generations. Tsitsipas one-hander is an effective and versatile shot, and even better for the viewer. The Greek teenager was the no. 1 ranked junior in the world in 2016, and followed up on his potential with a very strong 2017. He too won a Challenger title(Genova), but his result was undoubtably beating David Goffin at the 250 in Antwerp late in the season. Goffin was on fire late in the year, which makes that win look even more impressive now. Now that his ranking is inside the top 100 he will be in main draw of all the major events. He has yet to win a main draw match at a major, which will be clearly be an important step going forward. Tsipisas is crafty and another strong mental player, but should look to continue playing more aggressive going forward.

4. Frances Tiafoe
United States, ATP #79
Age: 19 years, 11 months

Tiafoe did not climb the rankings as much as some of his peers, but the American certainly made an impact at a number of high profile events. He opened the season by picking up his first main draw major win in Australia over longtime tour veteran Mikhail Kukushkin. Undoubtably the biggest win of the season came when he took out red-hot Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati. However, some of Tiafoe's most impressive performances came in defeat, including two very tight encounters with Roger Federer. After a close straight set defeat in Miami, Tiafoe pushed Federer all the way to five sets on Arthur Ashe stadium at the U.S. Open. This was a breakout performance that displayed everything Tiafoe does well: explosive movement, shotmaking in big moments and displaying emotion in front of a big crowd. While some will say he has technical flaws on the serve and forehand, I'm less concerned about that and am looking closer at how he competes on a week-to-week basis. His emotional style is both a strength and weakness.

3. Andrey Rublev
Russian, ATP #39
Age: 20 years, 2 months

The only player on this list to make a deep run into a major, Rublev is another former junior no. 1 who does not lack talent. The Russian's forehand is one of the best on the tour already, and his backhand is certainly not a weakness. He can hit winners from just about everywhere on the court. Rublev won an ATP 250 event in Umag, which was his biggest title. He has some slight similarities to a former Russian great Marat Safin, both in game-style and personality. Rublev proved he belonged on the tour, and that he is fit enough to play best of five set matches consistently. The challenge for Rublev is that most of the other players on this list are better natural athletes that he, and his movement can be exposed (see: Nadal at U.S. Open). Still, as his body fills out, his game will improve. After such a huge rankings jump in 2017, it will be difficult for Rublev to defend his position in 2018. If he can keep improving at a gradual rate, he should stand to win many more titles.

2. Alexander Zverev
Germany, ATP #4
Age: 20 years, 8 months

In terms of success, titles, big-wins and almost every other measuring stick, Zverev was the #1 rising star in 2017. But we are putting him at #2 because he was already a more established player, finishing 2016 at #24 and 2017 at #4. His Masters 1000 Titles in Rome(def. Djokovic) and Montreal (def. Federer) are undeniably impressive. He played and beat the best players in the world when it mattered most. Clearly his serve is the best on this list, and his backhand is absolutely rock solid. The forehand could stand to improve, and it's the side most players choose to attack when they play him. But the biggest need for change in Zverev's game is his performance at the majors; he has yet to reach the second week and suffered some bad defeats this year. He will get some help as his body naturally fills out. But with Djokovic, Wawrinka and Murray returning next season, it will be a huge challenge for Zverev to remain in the top 5. The one thing he has over perhaps every other young player (outside of Nick Kyrgios) is a belief and confidence that he is the better player every time he steps on court.

1. Denis Shapovalov
Canada, ATP #51
Age: 18 years, 8 months

Halfway through the season, Shapovalov might have come in at no. 8-10 on this list, but he certainly was not on everybody's radar like he is now. After a stunning display in his home country of Montreal, Shapovalov backed up his stellar play by qualifying and reaching the round of 16 at the U.S. Open. Those results alone would leave most believing the 18 year old is going to have a big career. But most impressive is not the results, it's the eye test. Shapovalov has a great head on his shoulder, and is the definition of a shotmaker. His serve is top-notch, especially the second second. His forehand is a huge weapon and the flashy one-handed backhand certainly has it's moments. That side is still what most players will attack. In order to fulfill on the potential Shapovalov has, he needs to sure up his first serve return and adjust to being the favorite in matches, not the underdog. He will play every major event next year, and it will be fascinating to see how his game progresses.

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Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017

Top 10 Rising Stars of 2017: ATP

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