11 Players Who Could Be the Next Bernard Tomic

In sports, fans often focus more on the future than the present. The topics of aging and the next emerging star occur almost daily.

Bernard Tomic was just a teenager known only by die hard tennis fans before Wimbledon. Now, even the casual fan has heard of Tomic and knows about his performance at Wimbledon this year.

Grand slam tennis doesn’t resume until next year, but it is never too early to predict who will be the next Bernard Tomic.

11. Kei Nishikori, 21 Years Old, Rank 54

He’s one of the most unknown guys on this list, but he might have the most potential. Nishikori has already established himself as a great player, beating Marin Cilic, Fabio Fognini, Mardy Fish and Florian Mayer this year.

Niskikori is only listed as 5-foot-10, 150 pounds. Therefore, his conditioning must improve. His skill set is there, making him poised to make a run at a grand slam.

10. Ryan Sweeting, 24 Years Old, Rank 65

Sweeting has vastly improved his game since turning pro, but time is running out. He is 6-foot-5 and doesn’t move badly, given his size. 

Better consistency on both the forehand and backhand is needed for Sweeting to have any chance of competing with the top players.

9. Kevin Anderson, 25 years old, Rank 32

The tennis world has been waiting for Anderson to break out at a grand slam. His 6-foot-8 frame and huge serve can give any opponent difficulty.

Anderson’s main bugaboo is conditioning.

There is no question Anderson can compete with the best of them. He beat Andy Murray and John Isner this year.

8. Thiemo De Bakker, 23 Years Old, Rank 197

De Bakker has completely fallen off the map since being ranked 40^th last year.

I think once De Bakker gets some positive wins under his belt, he can get back into the top 50.

De Bakker is still relatively young and has tremendous talent.

7. Robin Haase, 24 Years Old, Rank 42

I think the whole world was shocked this year when they flipped on the television and saw Andy Murray was down two sets to none against Hasse at the US Open.

The truth is that Hasse has had good results and is improving his game.

He beat Alexandr Dolgopolov this year and took Gael Monfils to three sets. Murray should have beat Hasse, but four to five sets would not have been a bold prediction.

Improvements to his serve and net game are necessary. If he can touch up those minor hiccups, Haase can make it to a quarterfinal in a grand slam.

6. Fabio Fognini, 24 years old, Rank 39

Fognini could end up being Italy’s savior on the men’s side.

He has great groundstrokes and has already done fairly well in grand slams. He most notably made it to the quarterfinals this year at Wimbledon.

Fognini needs to add a little more power to his game to be a real threat.

5. Ryan Harrison, 19 Years Old, Rank 82

Sadly, Ryan Harrison is probably the most well known guy on this list, but Harrison has never made it past the round of 64 in any grand slam event. In addition, he hasn’t beat many top players.

Harrison may have all the potential in the world, but until he beats quality opponents on a regular basis, he will stay at this spot on the list.

Harrison’s major flaws include immaturity and over-hitting the ball. He goes for way too much when he is down. Harrison could turn out to be a great player or a player with a lot of talent wasted.

4. Thomaz Bellucci, 23 Years Old, Rank 38

Belllucci was supposed to be one of the next up and comers in tennis. With such a strong start to his career, Bellucci seemed to have top 10 potential.

That potential is still there, but changes are necessary. One is his backhand, which he is repeatedly late on.

Bellucci has some easily fixable problems, and soon he will be back in the top 25.

3. Donald Young, 22 years old, Rank 55

There was no surprise in Donald Young’s run in the US Open, because he had a relatively easy draw. Wawrinka hadn’t been performing and Chela is basically a clay court specialist.

That’s not to take anything away from Young. He vastly improved his game and maturity, but he needs a faster serve. Opponents stand close to the baseline and cut off his first serve, so his slice isn’t as deadly.

Also, Young’s other obvious weakness is his backhand.

2. Milos Raonic, 20 Years Old, Rank 30

Everybody knows Raonic has one of the best serves in tennis, but that’s not the only positive part of his game: He has a huge forehand as well.

Raonic does have some movement issues, however. He is sometimes slow to the ball and his footing is not all there. If he can fix that, he can do well in multiple grand slams in the years to come.

1. Grigor Dimitrov, 20 Years Old, Rank 76

Dimitrov is basically the perfect prototype for a tennis player.

He is athletic, moves tremendously well, has great groundstrokes and has an above-average net game and serve.

He just needs to fit all the pieces together.

Dimitrov did not have the luck Tomic had. Otherwise this article would be titled “Who Could Be The Next Grigor Dimitrov," instead of Tomic.

If Dimitrov and Tomic swapped draws at Wimbledon, he would have made the quarterfinals just like Tomic did.

It was too bad Dimitrov had to play Tsonga at Wimbledon, but it turned out to be one of the best matches of the tournament.