ATP Tour 2012: 10 Young Guns to Watch out for in Second Half of Season

The second part of the tennis season is among us and, like always, there are many young players that are hoping to make runs deep into tournaments.

The American hard court swing is now a thing of the past and the tennis world now transitions to clay.

Here are some players to watch as the tennis calendar begins to heat up. 

Milos Raonic

Current ranking: 25

Milos Raonic is just 21 years old but is already the highest-ranked Canadian player of all time.

He has a massive serve and that gives him a chance to win every match he plays. When his opponents are able to return it, they then have to contend with the Canadian's flat and dangerous forehand. 

Raonic has the ability to win multiple Grand Slam titles, so don't be surprised to see him make a breakthrough at one of them soon. 

Earlier this season, he won titles in Chennai and San Jose.

If Raonic is able to stay healthy, then he should win at least another title before the season ends.

Expect him to be a real force in the American hard-court swing later this summer. 

Bernard Tomic

Current ranking: 36

This 19-year-old is the present and future of Australian tennis.

Tomic will be taking over as the top Aussie player from Lleyton Hewitt, who didn't do too bad for himself with two Grand Slams in his great career.

He 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, doing 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. 

Ryan Harrison

Current ranking: 65

To all fans of American tennis, here is our next savior.

Harrison is supposed to be the man that brings American tennis back to the glory days and he just may have the game to do it.

Like Raonic, he has a booming serve and forehand, but his first-serve accuracy isn't as high as the Canadian's.

This often makes Harrison susceptible to getting his serve broken. When you pair that with his return of serve being the weakest part of his game, you can begin to predict how opponents 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 he 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. 

Grigor Dimitrov

Current ranking: 87

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. 

The 20-year-old Bulgarian has always been thought of as a talent that just needs to click. When this happens, you will start seeing him produce results up to par with his talent. I see this happening within two years.

Dimitrov, who is a joy to watch on the court, 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.

Donald Young

Current ranking: 45

Donald Young began to reach his potential last season. He reached the round of 16 at the US Open, losing to Andy Murray. 

It wasn't too long ago that Young was the considered to be the future of US men's tennis. (That distinction now belongs to Ryan Harrison.)

Young is now 22 years of age and always plays his best tennis during the summer hard court season. 

It will be difficult for Donald to match last year's success at the US Open. However, with the right draw, he has the ability to equal that performance. 

Kei Nishikori

Current ranking: 18

Nishikori is the top-ranked player on this list and should only continue to ascend in the rankings. He is also the highest-ranked Japanese player of all time

He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier this season but hasn't had as good a run since. 

Kei does not have many points to defend in the clay court season. He reached the finals in Houston and only the second round at the French Open last season. 

Rafael Nadal has backed Nishikori's talent, saying in the past that he will find his way inside the top 10. 

Kei will need more consistent results to prove Nadal right.

Ricardas Berankis

Current ranking: 175

Like Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic, Ricardas Berankis is the highest-ranked player in his country's history.

When Berankis entered the top 100 in November 2010, he became Lithuania's top-ranked men's player ever. 

He is just 5'9" and this takes away from his margin of error on most of his shots. His serve is the shot most affected by his lack of size. 

This isn't to say that all undersized players cannot succeed: Current world number six, David Ferrer, is also 5'9".

For Ricardas to succeed, he will have to become one of the best baseliners in the world—like David Ferrer is today.

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe

Current ranking: 92

Cedrik-Marcel Stebe is a lefty with a ton of potential. 

Being a lefty is an advantage against most opponents because they have the ability to play a different type of game. 

Stebe utilizes a topspin-laden forehand that he uses to keep his opponents behind the baseline.

His serve is solid but it will have to improve if Stebe hopes to climb in the rankings. 

Cedrik has the talent to get inside the top 50 but he has to become more assertive on the court to realize his potential. 

Ernest Gulbis

Current ranking: 78

Ernest Gulbis was once thought of to be a top-10 player in the making.

Unfortunately, he has yet to come close to that: The closest he came was 21st in February of 2011.

Gulbis seems to have lost the focus that a professional tennis player must have to achieve positive results. 

For some reason, the talents of Gulbis refuse to appear during Grand Slams. This is what should worry fans of Ernest the most; he has been completely incapable of raising his game on the biggest stages in tennis.

He certainly has the ability to contend with the best players in the world but until he is able string more wins together, he will remain outside the top 50.

Tatsuma Ito

Current ranking: 98

Tatsuma Ito is an interesting player because he moves very well but is without any big weapons. 

His groundstrokes are solid but unless he is given a short ball, he is unable to take control of a point. 

Ito is certainly a long shot to make a big impact in the second half of the season—but you never know.