Tennis has been dominated by ‘The Big Four’ for many years now. Names like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have battled between themselves for the World Number One over the last 12 months.
Although all four are outstanding to watch, the game may be shaken up even more this year with the arrival of a new generation of young pretenders for the tennis throne.
A New Chapter
Jerzy Janowics started 2012 with an ATP ranking of 222, having never played in a Grand Stand tournament. A year later and he is a very real contender for a Grand Slam title in 2013. The Pole has shot to number 26, reaching the final in the Paris Masters final, beating four of the top 20 players in world along the way.
He impressed with victories against Andy Murray, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic and Philipp Kohlschreiber, and was only stopped by David Ferrer. But this isn’t a case of close but no cigar, and is instead an excellent foundation for all he can achieve in 2013. For Janowics, its about taking one step at a time. But that’s not to say that he isn’t ambitious:
Janowics started training again only a week after his run in the Paris Masters. A positive attitude he is maintaing for the year a head:
The Wild Card
Grigor Dimitrov is another player who has already come a long, long way. The Bulgarian was entered into the Queen’s Club Tournament in 2009 as a ‘Wild Card’. As the world number 361, initially his entry was a shock. But Dimitrov impressed with his elegant style and sheer skill.
Grigor Dimitrov, photo by Ian Gampon (iShot71), via Flickr
Last summer he returned to Queen’s, where he reached the semi finals. This performance has helped to rocket him up the API rankings, where he now sits at number 41! Earlier this month he participated in the Brisbane International Tournament. Beating fellow young pretender Milos Raonic, as well as Jurgen Melzer, Dimitrov was on course to wining his first tournament. He reached the semi finals, where he was beaten by Andy Murray, however, this has got 2013 off to an excellent start.