U.S. Open: Top 10 Players Most Likely to Win Their First Grand Slam

Tennis has been kind of boring the last couple of years.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have won almost every major grand slam.

Although these three great players look unstoppable, there is hope for a change. Roger Federer looks like he won’t win another grand slam and some young talented players are exhibiting potential to win a grand slam.

A lot of factors were incorporated in making this list, but age was probably the most important one. Some players were left off the list because they will be too old to win a grand slam by the time Djokovic and Nadal are past their prime.

Here is a list of the top 10 players to win at least one grand slam.

Notables off list for a reason: Robin Soderling because he hasn’t performed well since the French Open final last year; Tomas Berdych because he is inconsistent and a head case; Ryan Harrison because he hasn’t proven himself in any major grand slam.

Note: Players who have already won at least one grand slam are left off the list. In addition, this grand slam can be won on any surface. Furthermore, the grand slam results listed for each player show his best performance.

10. Marin Cilic, Age 22, Rank 29

 Australian Open, Semi-Finals, 2010 (Most Likely To Win)

 US Open, Quarterfinals, 2009

French Open, Fourth Round,  2009, 2010

Wimbledon Fourth Round, 2008

When Cilic broke out onto the scene, he and Juan Martin Del Potro were compared because of their height and athleticism.

Del Potro already cashed in on his grand slam title and is looking like the better player of the two.

Cilic has all the tools in his arsenal to win a grand slam. He just can’t convert. His movement for a 6’6” man is something tennis hasn’t seen.

There is obviously room for a lot of improvement in Cilic’s game, but what he needs to work on most is his backhand. Sometimes his footwork is horrible and in turn, he is out of position and usually late on his strokes, especially his backhand.

Another area Cilic can improve on is his net game. He should use his height to his advantage and take more opportunities to come to net.

Cilic hasn’t been as much of a flop as people think. His last couple of grand slam results have been very good, except this year. At 22, Cilic is still young enough to improve and possibly win a major.

The reason he has the best chance of winning in Australia is his game is best suited for hard courts. If he can hit the ball cleanly, his groundstrokes are hit faster than anyone’s. If Cilic is on, no one can predict what he is capable of.

9. Donald Young, Age 22, Rank 89

US Open, Third Round, 2007 (Most Likely To Win)

Australian Open, Second Round, 2010

Wimbledon, First Round, 2008, 2011

French Open, First Round, 2008

It is very hard for me to put Donald Young on this list, but he has shown signs he could be a threat to win a major tournament.

In his last tournament appearance, Young did exceptionally well making it to the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Radak Stepanek. Making it to the semifinals was no easy task for Young. In the tournament, he beat Marcos Baghdatis and Jurgen Melzer.

Young has made the list because of his recent improvement. If he wants to win, he needs to improve his backhand a lot. During the semifinal against Stepanek, some of Young’s backhands were going into the bottom of the net.

A good serve is one of the most important factors in tennis. Young has a good slice serve, but it’s not fast. Opponents realize this and to cut off the spin, they stand closer to the net than they would against other servers. If Young can pick up the pace and add more variety to his serve, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Young also beat Andy Murray in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open.

He is one of the fastest players on tour and being left-handed always gives opponents problems.

8. Alexandr Dolgopolov, Age 22, Rank 21

Australian Open, Quarterfinals, 2011 (Most Likely To Win)

French Open, Third Round, 2011, 2010

Wimbledon, Second Round, 2010

US Open, First Round 2010

Dolgopolov burst onto the scene this year and hasn’t looked back. His coming out moment was probably at this year’s Australian Open, eventually losing to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.

In Australia, Dolgopolov had a chance to win the match against Murray. That’s how unbelieveable he was.

Dolgopolov won his last tournament appearance, beating Cilic in the finals. He has no problem competing with the best players on tour. In this year alone, Dolgopolov has beaten David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga twice, Stanislas Wawrinka, Robin Soderling and Bernard Tomic.

Being 6’0”, Dolgopolov hits the ball with surprising power on both his forehand and backhand side.

He needs to improve his mental game and his serve. If he is down in the match, he loses confidence in himself and sprays the ball all over the court. Mental toughness is key in tennis and when Dolgopolov conquers that, he will win a grand slam.

Dolgopolov doesn’t really have a preferred surface. He is not good on grass, but other than that, he plays equally well on clay and hard courts. He did just win a clay court tournament, though.

If I had to choose, Australia would be the best bet just because of his track record. However, at the French this year, he lost to a good opponent in Viktor Troicki. If he had defeated him, there is no telling how far Dolgopolov could have gone.

It is hard to pick a French Open winner other than Nadal.

7. Gael Monfils, Age 24, Rank 7

French Open, Semi-Final, 2008 (Most Likely To Win)

US Open, Quarterfinal, 2010

Australian Open, Fourth Round, 2009

Wimbledon, Third Round, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2005

Time is running out for Monfils, but it is hard to ignore his talent. He is by far the most athletic tennis player on tour and his speed/strength combination is out of this world.

Monfils has all the makings to be great, but he also has a lot of flaws.

For one, he is probably the least aggressive player on tour. He is strictly a baseline player. A lot of the points Monfils plays are long rallies, during which he waits for an opponent to make a mistake. Often Monfils would be better off if he chose to end the point by either going for a winner or coming to net.

There is a lot wrong with the prolonged rally strategy.

For one, Monfils may be physically strong, but he is not in shape. He needs to improve his leg strength. He tires very easily and that is why he takes so many injury timeouts. Another reason this style doesn’t work is good players pounce on Monfils’ mistakes and quickly put an end to the point.

Also, he doesn’t hit the ball deep enough sometimes and has to rely on his speed to get him through the point.

Another component Monfils needs to work on is his mental game. It has improved of late, but not very much. In his recent match against Radek Stepanek he was throwing the racquet and banging his head. If he gets down, he shouldn’t worry. His game is good enough to compete with anyone.

The reason Monfils is favored to win the French is his game is a perfect fit for clay. As I mentioned above, Monfils is a baseline player and his movement is one of the best in tennis. Aggressiveness and the head are the most important factors. If he can improve that, he can win one grand slam.

6. Thomaz Bellucci, Age 23, Rank 36

French Open, Fourth Round, 2010 (Most Likely To Win)

Wimbledon, Third Round, 2010

US Open, Second Round, 2008, 2010

Australian Open, Second Round, 2010, 2011

Bellucci has been Brazil’s wonder child for a while now and he needs to start producing.

He is still young enough to make improvements to his game. Showing flashes of brilliance, Bellucci has the potential to be even lower on this list, but his inconsistencies are pulling him down.

Bellucci needs to improve his backhand and his negative attitude on court. He is late on a lot of his backhand shots and he sometimes lets the ball come too close to his body, not getting the extension he needs for more power.

Clay is Bellucci’s best surface. This year alone, Bellucci beat Fernando Verdasco, Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych on clay. He is not bad on hard courts either.

5. Milos Raonic, Age 20, Rank 26

Australian Open, Fourth Round, 2011

Wimbledon, Second Round, 2011

US Open, First Round, 2010 (Most Likely To Win)

French Open, First Round, 2011

Canadian tennis finally has something to look forward to. It is not really a question of if he is going to break out, it’s when.

With one of the best serves in tennis, getting a single point off his serve is a challenge. Even his groundstrokes are pretty decent.

Raonic needs to improve his return of serve and his ability to win long points, something he doesn’t do too often.

Raonic has the biggest chance to win on a hard surface because of his massive serve and forceful groundstrokes.

4. Andy Murray, Age 24, Rank 4

Australian Open, Final, 2011, 2010

US Open, Final, 2008 (Most Likely To Win)

Wimbledon, Semi-Final, 2011, 2010, 2009

French Open, Semi-Final, 2011

Murray is an enigma. Everyone is wondering why he hasn’t won a grand slam already.

He has the second best backhand in tennis, next to Novak Djokovic and is one the best return-of-serve guys out there.

Well, the answer is simple as to why Murray loses the big matches. He is not only battling his opponent on the court, he is fighting himself as well.

One of the best examples I can give and trust me, there are many, is in this year’s Wimbledon semifinals against Nadal.

Murray won the first set with relative ease. He outplayed Nadal because of his aggressiveness.

The next set, however, Murray didn’t go for any shots. He played nervous and it showed. He was late on a lot of shots and settled for long rallies, something Nadal relishes.

Murray is one of the most talented players on tour, without question. He needs to get his head in the right place in order to win.

3. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Age 26, Rank 16

Australian Open, Final, 2008 (Most Likely To Win)

Wimbledon, Semi-Final, 2011

US Open, Fourth Round, 2009

French Open, Fourth Round, 2010, 2009

The oldest player on this list by two years so his window is closing very fast. He has the game to win on every surface, but can he convert?

Tsonga is built like a truck. He is athletic and both his backhand and forehand are equally effective. His movement is incredible for his weight. Tsonga has shown signs that he can win a grand slam. His best chance was in the Australian Open finals when he played Novak Djokovic.

The reason Tsonga is likely to win is that his impressive record against some top players. For example, he has a 5-3 record against Djokovic.

The problem with Tsonga is his inconsistent play. If he has a chance at all, Tsonga has to make his move in the next 2-3 years or he will have passed his peak.

2. Bernard Tomic, Age 18, Rank 68

Wimbledon, Quarterfinal, 2011

Australian Open, Third Round, 2011 (Most Likely To Win)

French Open, First Round, 2011, 2009

US Open, Did Not Play

Wow. An 18-year-old already making a quarterfinal in a major slam. That’s crazy, but it shows how good Tomic can and will be.

Tomic has a big serve and moves fairly well for his height (6’4”).

In order for Tomic to win a grand slam, he needs to improve his footwork a little and definitely his groundstrokes. They aren’t horrendous, just inconsistent.

At only 18, I’m sure Tomic will fix that and will make many grand slam finals.

1. Grigor Dimitrov, Age 20, Rank 56

Wimbledon, Second Round, 2011 (Most Likely To Win)

Australian Open, Second Round, 2011

French Open, First Round, 2011

US Open, Second Round (Qualifying Matches), 2009

This young gun is going to be feared by every player on tour pretty soon.

Even at Wimbledon this year, Tsonga had to be at his best in order to beat him. It was one of the best matches of the tournament.

He rarely makes a mistake on his groundstrokes and his serve is above-average. My advice for Dimitrov is to just keep practicing. He doesn’t need to improve a lot, maybe a touch-up on his net game, but that’s about it.

People have compared him to Roger Federer, that’s how spectacular they think this kid is going to be.

If Dimitrov keeps on improving, which he will, he will soon win a major slam.