4 Young Players Who Will Be the Future of Tennis

Over the last decade tennis has undergone an anti-youth movement. Young players in today's game are having  a very difficult time finding success early in their careers. Tennis used to be a sport that always seemed to welcome a new teenage sensation to the stage, but these days it's tougher on the teens in the tennis world.

The last man to win a Grand Slam as a teenager?

That would be none other than Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.

Now the question is, when will we see another teen champion?

Based upon the way tennis is being played today and how long it is taking young players to peak we may be waiting a very long time. There are only four players in the top 100 that are 21 years of age or under. 

Why has it gotten more difficult for teens to succeed on tour?

There are a variety of reasons, but perhaps the most significant cause would be the strength training that a player needs to be successful once on tour. Simply put it takes time for these guys to become strong and fit enough to compete with the world's best. Although, the four men on this list are all capable of playing some great tennis. 

Milos Raonic

It is fitting that Milos Raonic starts the list because he has the perfect game to challenge anyone on tour any day. Raonic possesses one of the biggest serves in the game, both first and second, and an aggressive, powerful game from the baseline. Milos uses his huge game to pound his opponents into submission and is almost impossible to break. This alone makes him a nighmare of a matchup because players often find themselves in a tiebreak with one of the biggest hitters in the game. And as anyone will tell you anything can happen in a tiebreak against a big server. 

Raonic's game is not without some small issues, the chief one being his backhand. Of course one could ask themselves if we have seen anyone be successful without a world class backhand? 

Pete Sampras come to mind?

When watching Milos I continually see flashes of Sampras. Most notably and obvious being the serve that has already won Raonic dozens of matches. 

Unfortunately the courts on today's tour are only getting slower and slower which does not suit his game perfectly. With that being said Raonic will always be a threat and at only 21 years of age he has plenty of time to improve his game and to gain experience in bigger spots.

Raonic certainly has top five potential and I would be surprised not to see him there within the next two years as long as he can avoid injuries.

Bernard Tomic

This 19-year-old Aussie is the present and future of Australian tennis. Tomic will be taking over as the top Australian player for Lleyton Hewitt, who didn't do too bad for himself with two Grand Slams in his great career. Bernard Tomic has already produced some great results, with his best being a quarterfinal run at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships where he took a set from eventual champion Novak Djokovic. 

Tomic plays a solid game without any major weaknesses or strengths and does everything pretty well. He employs a good backhand slice and has great control of his forehand. But in my opinion Tomic has something other players would trade any shot for, great mental toughness and a very high tennis IQ. Thus far in his young career Tomic has proven that he will not wear down in a big spot and his opponent will need to have the mettle to beat him. 

Tomic has been dealing with legal issues in his native Australia but assuming he is able to stay focused on tennis he should have an extremely promising career. 

Tomic is certainly more finesse than Raonic and I cannot wait to see their first matchup whenever that happens. I for one am hoping for sooner rather than later. 

Ryan Harrison

To all fans of American tennis, here is our next savior. Harrison is supposed to be the man that brings American tennis back to glory and he just may have the game to do it. Harrison is similar to Raonic with a booming serve and forehand but his first serve accuracy isn't as high as Raonic's. This often makes Harrison susceptible to getting his serve broken. When you pair that with Harrison's return of serve being the weakest part of his game you can begin to predict how opponent's will think going into encounters with him. 

If I were playing Harrison I would be patient and make it a point to be effective whenever Harrison missed his first serve. 

Harrison has a bright future and has played some of the top players in the world closely, most notably Roger Federer. 

Harrison will have to improve against the players who employ a style similar to that of a counter-puncher to see his future ranking equal his current potential. 

Grigor Dimitrov

Hailing from Bulgaria Dimitrov has been drawing comparisons to Roger Federer since his emergence as a teenager. This is mostly due to his one-handed backhand and fluid movement around the court. Grigor certainly has the potential to be an amazing all-court player similar to that of Federer if he continues to progress and stays aggressive on court. 

Dimitrov is a joy to watch on the court, and he has a promising future, despite his 1-3 record on the year. Go look back at the matches Grigor has played this year and it becomes obvious that he has lost a few tough matches this year. 

The talented Bulgarian has always been thought of as a talent that just needs to click and then he will start producing results up to par with his talent. I see this happening within two years, and he is still just 20 years old after all. Dimitrov still has a very big future and one day may be the next great champion. If that were to happen I would not be surprised in any way.