THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT On the ATP and WTA tours, a core of talented under-20 players moved the needle—and notched big wins—in 2014.
By Chris Oddo
With dominant mega stars ruling the roost in professional tennis for many years, it hasn’t been easy for young players to make strides on the tour. But in 2014, a cast of kids with attitude gave fans reason to get excited. From first-time tour-level victories to dazzling Grand Slam runs, here’s a look at some of the best and brightest that the under-20 set had to offer in 2014:
NICK KYRGIOS BELINDA BENCIC Working with Melanie Molitor, mother of five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis, has obviously paid off for the 17-yearold dynamo from Switzerland. Bencic burst onto the scene early in the season, reaching the semifinals in Charleston in a performance that caught the attention of many. A few months later the Swiss made even bigger waves at the US Open when she notched back-to-back top ten wins to become the youngest US Open quarterfinalist since Martina Hingis achieved the feat in 1997. Perched at No. 32 in the rankings, Bencic is the only player under 18 in the WTA’s top 50, and with a measured and tactically sound game that features both finesse and power, she stands to make even bigger—can you say ginormous?— waves in 2015. 32 YEAR IN REVIEW 2014
If attitude was everything Nick Kyrgios would be No. 1 in the world already. And, even though the gifted 19-year-old from Canberra, Australia, has a way to go before he can truly be considered a threat to the ATP’s elite, he does finish the year as the highest-ranked under-20 player at 52 in the world. More important, the Aussie heads into the off-season full of confidence, having knocked off Rafael Nadal in impressive fashion en route to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, and holding his own against talent of all levels on stages of all sizes in 2014. Kyrgios may be raw at the moment, but with his burning desire to be the best complementing his awe-inspiring athleticism, he truly could be tennis’s next great champion.
“…HE TRULY COULD BE TENNIS’S NEXT GREAT CHAMPION.”