Andy Murray 19 years. Great Britain. 17th place in the ATP ranking in 2006.
It was the young Scot who became the second tennis player after Rafael Nadal, who in 2006 managed to defeat Federer himself. Iron Roger was defeated in two sets at the prestigious Masters tournament in Cincinnati. Murray has a powerful serve, obviously trained in joint exercises with the English boxer Amir Khan, iron nerves and the ability to effectively play on the back line. The main disadvantages are the tendency to injuries, due to which the last part of the past season was blurred, and short-term bursts of star fever. But these problems are completely solvable, given that the ex-mentor Andre Agassi Brad Gilbert coaches the Scotsman, and the legendary Nick Bolletieri advises.
Novak Djokovic. 19 years. Serbia 16th place.
The past season was, of course, the best in Dokovic’s short career so far. In addition to being able to climb 62 positions in the ranking, the Serb has established himself as one of the most wise and emotionally seasoned tennis players of his age. Djokovic’s playing style is hardly spectacular, at times it is even too pragmatic, but this does not make Novak a less dangerous competitor for rivals of any level. I especially remember this year's performance at the Roland Garros, where I reached the quarter finals, only because of the stretching of my back muscles without completing the stubborn match against Nadal. “I know that I could perform better and more stable if it weren’t for the injuries,” says Novak. - The thing is that I play too much, and the body does not stand up. I hope that compaction of the calendar next year will help me to progress and become a top-level player. ”
Marcos Baghdatis. 21 years old. Cyprus. 12th place.
Bagdatis began the season without swinging, having managed to reach the finals already at the Australian Open, having beat Roddik, Lyubichich and Nalbandyan in succession, and only in the decisive match lost to Federer. But this is not all that impressed the Cypriot. Bagdatis showed a very spectacular, attacking tennis, which many fans managed to miss. After his success, Marcos listened to thousands of flattering assessments addressed to him and, as subsequent events showed, was not ready for them, starting too early to enjoy the beautiful and tempting life of a tennis star. The next “explosion” of his talent happened at Wimbledon, where Marcos reached the semifinals. Toward the close of the season, he again reminded himself of himself, having won the tournament in Beijing.
Bagdatis is probably the most unpredictable and controversial figure on this talent list. Having found a desire in himself, he can win against almost any opponent, but without one he can lose to anyone. The same can be said about the prospects of his future career - either chest in crosses, or ...
Richard Gasquet. 20 years. France. 18th place.
Back in 2005, Gasquet made a loud statement about himself, becoming at the age of 19 the leader of the French national team and defeating Masters in Monte Carlo Federer, taking 101th place in the ATP rating. At the end of that season, the Frenchman received an elbow injury, which prevented him from continuing his ascent to the tennis peaks in 2006. However, his Richard can bring himself into the asset thanks to victories at tournaments in Nottingham and Lyon. He has one of the best one-handed backhand on the tour, which allows him not only to regularly beat tennis players above him in the ranking, but also to show a very entertaining game. Gasquet’s sporting character very accurately reflects one of his revelations: “In every match I want to win - right up to a cramp in my hands.”
Eugene Korolev. Russia. 18 years. 103 place.
The inclusion of the Korolev among the elect, of course, is a big advance, but it is dictated not only by a sense of patriotism, and not by the cousin of the tennis player with Anna Kournikova. Korolev’s rapid progress is obvious - over the year he has risen from 186th to 103rd place in the ranking, and Shamil Tarpishchev is already starting to attract Eugene as a reserve player in the matches of the Russian national team in the Davis Cup. Last season, yesterday's junior won several victories over the world's leading tennis players, including Carlos Moya and Nikolai Davydenko, and also won the first match in the main draw of his debut Grand Slam tournament. A pupil of Larisa Preobrazhenskaya plays equally well on any surface, is very technical and has a powerful pitch. The remaining tennis qualities, according to experts, are at about the same level, which remains only with experience to improve.
Andrey IVANTSOV