#NextGen report card: checking in on our future champs

The rising stars of men’s tennis have been hitting the headlines of late.

First it was Alexander Zverev, becoming the youngest winner of an ATP title in eight years with his first career title at the recent tournament in St. Petersburg.

The following week, it was Karen Khachanov enjoying a breakthrough, winning his maiden ATP title in Chengdu.

Last week, it was 21-year-old Nick Kyrgios wowing the tennis world with the ATP 500 title in Tokyo, the biggest of his career and achieved against impressive opposition.

This week, 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe cracked the world’s top 100.

All of these players featured in the ATP’s #NextGen campaign, unveiled in early March 2016 and “introduc(ing) an exciting crop of young and talented players who are rising to prominence on the ATP World Tour.”

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The concept is actually somewhat broader – an ATP #NextGen star is any player aged 21 or under and ranked inside the top 200.

We focused on the 14 players who featured in the campaign artwork and inaugural coverage. Six months on, and in light of many of the members’ recent exploits, we investigate how these emerging stars have progressed.

Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Current rank: 14 / March rank: 27 / position moved: +13
The 21-year-old is the most impressive of the group; having won his first ATP title in Marseille just weeks before the #NextGen campaign was unveiled, Kyrgios has gone on to win two more – the latest in Tokyo, his first at ATP 500 level. By doing so, he joined Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka and Thiem as the only players to have won three or more titles in 2016, and vaulted into 12th position in the ATP Race to London. The Aussie has notched six top-10 scalps this season and won nearly 40 matches, as well as reaching the second week at Wimbledon. A mighty impressive season that is by no means over.

Alexander Zverev (GER)
Current rank: 21 / March rank: 58 / position moved: +37
What a season it’s been for the 19-year-old. Zverev become the youngest tournament winner since Marin Cilic in 2008 when he stormed to the St. Petersburg title in September, ending Stan Wawrinka’s 11-match finals winning streak in the process. Such a composed performance was perhaps no surprise – he’d already reached ATP finals in Nice and Halle. Those three finals came on clay, grass and indoor hard court, a demonstration of his versatility. Coming within a point of upsetting Nadal in the fourth round at Indian Wells, the German didn’t let the disappointment linger, going on to record four victories against top 10 opponents – including Roger Federer in Halle – in the ensuing months.

Borna Coric (CRO)
Current rank: 41 / March rank: 47 / position moved: +6
Frequently compared to Novak Djokovic thanks to his style, the Croat has stagnated somewhat in a season which looks all but over now that he must undergo knee surgery. Coric’s underwhelming 2016 win-loss record of 22-24 includes 10 first-round defeats yet also an encouraging run in Cincinnati, where he beat Paire, Kyrgios and Nadal en route to the quarterfinals – his retirement against Cilic in the last eight there was when his knee issues became apparent. It’s been a year largely defined by his typically beating the players ranked beneath him yet losing to those ranked higher.

Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Current rank: 46 / March rank: 82 / position moved: +36
Britain has long wondered who might serve as a successor to Andy Murray – even a solid No.2 who can back him up in Davis Cup. They may have found that player in Edmund. The hard-working 21-year-old has rocketed up the rankings in the second half of 2016, reaching the quarters on home soil at Queen’s – and pushing Murray to three sets – and then advancing to the second week at Flushing Meadows, beating Gasquet and Isner along the way. More recently, he posted a quarterfinal finish at the China Open – after beginning that event in qualifying – which pushed him inside the top 50 for the first time.

Karen Khachanov (RUS)
Current rank: 56 / March rank: 146 / position moved: +90
The strapping Russian, listed as 6’6” by the ATP, stormed to his first tour title in Chengdu a fortnight ago and surged almost 50 places to a career-high No.55. Playing largely on the Challenger circuit earlier this season, Khachanov began to make his presence felt at the top level when he made an ATP quarterfinal in Kitzbuhel and then reached the second round at the US Open as a qualifier, where he pushed Nishikori to four sets. With power in spades, the 20-year-old has shown a propensity for clay, perhaps not surprising given he is coached by former ATP Spanish claycourter Galo Blanco.

Taylor Fritz (USA)
Current rank: 71 / March rank: 80 / position moved: +9
The Californian, just 18, peaked at No.53 in late August after reaching the quarterfinals in Atlanta. It continued a breakthrough season for Fritz, who began the year ranked 174th before reaching the final in Memphis and the quarters in Acapulco, an ATP 500 event. Since his exploits in Acapulco, however, the 2015 US Open junior champ has failed (barring Atlanta) to clear the second round at 16 tour-level events, perhaps explaining his subsequent slide of almost 20 places in the rankings. A talented ball-striker, Fritz pushed Federer to three in Halle and Wawrinka to four at Wimbledon, but has generally been swatted aside when facing other top 20 opponents in 2016. Still, the American is very young and his upside is huge.

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN)
Current rank: 98 / March rank: 124 / position moved: +26
The Japanese lefty has played a mixture of ATP and Challenger events in 2016, and has inched higher up the rankings after success at both. He advanced to the third round in Miami as a qualifier, cracked the top 100 after winning the Winnetka Challenger in Illinois, and set a career-best mark of world No.85 following his semifinal finish at the ATP Atlanta tournament. Fellow #NextGen star Kyrgios, who beat Nishioka in three sets in the Atlanta semis, said: “I grew up with him, played junior teams events with him, so I know him very well … he has transitioned well and has a great future ahead of him.”

Frances Tiafoe (USA)
Current rank: 100 / March rank: 177 / position moved: +77
The newest member of the top 100, Tiafoe’s explosive power and shot-making prowess make him a must-watch prospect. The 18-year-old earlier this season almost upset Goffin to reach the third round at Indian Wells and came within a whisker of qualifying at Roland Garros. These near-misses have been off-set by impressive Challenger performances, including his triumph last week in Stockton, California, which pushed him to his current career-high ranking.

Jared Donaldson (USA)
Current rank: 108 / March rank: 158 / position moved: +50
The young Californian debuted in the top 100 in September after an incredible run on home soil at the US Open – he qualified for the main draw and then advanced to the third round, beating Goffin and Troicki before Karlovic snapped his five-match winning streak. Donaldson qualified at five other ATP events, including the Toronto Masters where he went on to the last 16. One of many promising young Americans making their mark on tour in 2016.

Hyeon Chung (KOR)
Current rank: 140 / March rank: 64 / position moved: -76
The Korean 20-year-old advanced to his second ATP quarterfinal in Houston in April not long after the launch of the #NextGen campaign only to then endure a wretched run of form and health. Chung then went 1-5 through the end of Roland Garros Chung and following that missed four months of competition due to an abdominal injury. Having only recently returned to action on the Challenger circuit, Chung reached the final in Nanchang, China before winning the trophy in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It will be intriguing to see if this form translates to ATP level.

Elias Ymer (SWE)
Current rank: 155 / March rank: 152 / position moved: -3
One of the more highly-touted players among the #NextGen’ers, Ymer has so far failed to fire. The 20-year-old is one of the few in the group yet to crack the top 100 – his best mark was 118th, set ahead of the French Open – and he has spent the bulk of the year competing on the secondary Challenger circuit. The Swede posted his best ATP result with a quarterfinal run in Gstaad in July, but hasn’t made a tour-level appearance since. His ATP win-loss record in 2016 is 2-8.

Andrey Rublev (RUS)
Current rank: 166 / March rank: 161 / position moved: -5
Among the youngest of the #NextGen group, the 2014 French Open junior champ is yet to make his mark at the professional level. Rublev has played a significant chunk of the year on the Challenger circuit, and in his 14 appearance at tour events he has reached the second round just twice – in Chennai and St. Petersburg.

Quentin Halys (FRA)
Current rank: 170 / March rank: 175 / position moved: +5
The beneficiary of countless wildcards at French tournaments, Halys has yet to translate his junior success to wins at professional level. The 19-year-old, a former junior world No.3 and US Open boys’ singles finalist in 2014, has played mostly Challengers this season – his best result a victory in Tallahassee – while going 3-6 at tour-level. Victories in the opening round in Melbourne and Paris were his first Grand Slam tournament match wins.

Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Current rank: unranked / March rank: 119 / position moved: N/A
One has to feel for Kokkinakis, who no longer has a ranking after being plagued with shoulder issues. They first surfaced in October 2015, required surgery in December, and have kept him off tour ever since, barring a reappearance for one match at the Rio Olympics. When healthy, the big-hitting Aussie has shown he has plenty of talent and grit – he hit a career-high ranking of 69th after reaching the third round at Roland Garros last year.