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Eight #NextGenATP players in main draw did not compete in the US Open last year

The #NextGenATP is on the rise, and for proof, look no further than the US Open. Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas lead the Top 14 players in the ATP Race To Milan into the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

If that’s not impressive enough, consider this: only six of those 14 players competed in the main draw at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center a year ago. Seven of the field’s #NextGenATP competitiors are debuting at the US Open, and three of those athletes, including Canadian sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime, are making their first Grand Slam main draw appearances.

From this week last year until now, the 14 21-and-under players competing at the US Open have risen a combined 1,590 spots in the ATP Rankings, with World No. 139 Ugo Humbert rising an impressive 578 spots. Last year, their average ranking was No. 193, whereas they are now, on average, at World No. 79.

In 2017, Russian Andrey Rublev became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001. Shapovalov, who took the ATP World Tour by storm by reaching the 2017 Montreal semi-finals, backed up that performance by ousting eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the fourth round in Flushing Meadows, bringing the crowd to its feet time and time again before falling in three tie-breaks against eventual semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta.

American Frances Tiafoe showed his talent in his third appearance in the event, battling hard to push five-time champion Roger Federer to five sets, but Tiafoe was unable to earn his first US Open victory. That was the first time Federer was forced to a fifth set in the first round of the US Open, as he had won 13 of his 16 openers in New York in straight sets.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, World No. 45 Alex de Minaur and the seventh-placed player in the Race, Taylor Fritz, all were in the main draw last year, while American Michael Mmoh earned a wild card into the event two years ago. The athletic 20-year-old, once again a wild card, is pursuing his first Grand Slam match win.

Leading the way for the #NextGenATP debutants at the US Open is Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who went on a magical run at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, becoming the youngest player to defeat four Top 10 opponents at a single event since the ATP World Tour was established in 1990. A year ago, he was World No. 161. Now, he is World No. 15, and a proven threat against the very best.

Spaniard Jaume Munar, Pole Hubert Hurkacz and Norwegian Casper Ruud are competing in the main draw in New York for the first time, while Auger-Aliassime, South Africa’s Lloyd Harris and Frenchman Ugo Humbert will all be making their Slam debuts.

Auger-Aliassime will face his best friend and fellow #NextGenATP star Shapovalov in the first round in what will be their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Shapovalov, 19, beat Auger-Aliassime, 18, at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Canada last year. This is a critical event for all of the #NextGenATP players, with Nos. 6-14 in the Race separated by just 355 points as the players compete for one of seven guaranteed spots at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 6-10 November.

52-Week Rise Of Top 14 Players In The ATP Race To Milan

Player ATP Ranking Before '17 US Open Current Ranking Player ATP Ranking Before '17 US Open Current Ranking
1. Alexander Zverev 6 4 8. Jaume Munar 208 85
2. Stefanos Tsitsipas 161 15 9. Hubert Hurkacz 404 109
3. Denis Shapovalov 69 28 10. Casper Ruud 112 143
4. Alex de Minaur 186 45 11. Michael Mmoh 145 120
5. Frances Tiafoe 70 44 12. Felix Auger-Aliassime 226 117
6. Andrey Rublev 53 38 13. Lloyd Harris 231 145
7. Taylor Fritz 108 74 14. Ugo Humbert 717 139

By Arthur Kapetanakis / Sunday, August 26, 2018
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All seven active former US Open men’s singles champions will be in action this year, but the list of contenders does not end there. This preview details a selection of champs, challengers and rising stars who could be playing deep into the tournament’s second week.

After the 2017 US Open went on without five of the ATP’s Top 11 men, there is an abundance of star power on tap for 2018.

Past Champions:

Rafael Nadal – Though the defending champion and world No. 1 has played only one hard-court event this summer, he made the most of it by winning his record-extending 33rd Masters 1000 title at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. He has collected five ATP titles in 2018, bringing his career total to 80, and now has an opportunity to complete a French Open-US Open double for the second consecutive year.

Roger Federer – After winning five consecutive US Open titles from 2004-08, Federer has not been able to reclaim the New York crown despite two final appearances and three semifinal runs. Like Nadal, he has only played one summer hard-court event, reaching the final at the Cincinnati Masters. At 37, the two-time defending Australian Open champ has perfected the art of peaking at the right times.

Novak Djokovic – The in-form player of the summer, Djokovic enters New York on the back of titles at both Wimbledon and the Cincinnati Masters. His Cincinnati title completed a Career Golden Masters for the Serb, as he became the first man in history to win all nine Masters events. Dating back to Queen’s Club in late June, Djokovic has a record of 19-2 in his past four tournaments, including an 8-1 record across two Masters events in the US Open Series.

SEE ALSO: World No. 1 Simona Halep, six-time champion Serena Williams and reigning champion Sloane Stephens are likely among the pre-tournament favorites, but there's no shortage of challenges for the 2018 women's title.

Juan Martin del Potro – The 2009 US Open champion enters his 10th US Open as the No. 3 seed, just weeks after rising to No. 3 in the ATP World Rankings for the first time in his career. The lanky Argentine’s love affair with New York is the stuff of legends; his iconic comeback victory against Dominic Thiem in last year’s fourth round, during which he battled flu and fever, was just one highlight during his 2017 semifinal run. The New York crowd will be firmly in his corner once again this year.

August 23, 2018 - Alexander Zverev practices with Novak Djokovic at the 2018 US Open. (USTA/Pete Staples)
Photo by: (USTA/Pete Staples)
Title Contenders:

Alex Zverev – The three-time ATP Masters champion has yet to advance beyond the second round at the US Open, but he is poised for a breakthrough with his explosive game. The 21-year-old reached the French Open quarterfinals in June for his best career major performance and will be plotting to at least match that as the No. 4 seed in New York. His dominant performance in winning the Washington Open title showed that he has more than enough hard-court game for a deep run at the Open.

Kevin Anderson – After reaching his first Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open, Anderson has continued his strong form this season with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon, one semifinal and two quarterfinal Masters 1000 showings, and a title at the inaugural New York Open. Having shown staying power to go along with his serving power, the No. 5-seeded South African will hope to go one step further at this year’s tournament.

SEE ALSO: Top seed and defending champ Rafael Nadal has never been one to shy away from a tough draw, but there must have been a collective sigh of relief amongst the Nadal camp upon learning that career-long rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both landed on the opposite side of the Mallorcan’s 2018 US Open draw.

John Isner – At the age of 33, Isner may be playing the best tennis of his life. He won the biggest title of his career at the Miami Masters in March and backed it up with a run to the Wimbledon semifinals, his best performance in 41 career major appearances. Despite having been the top-ranked American at five of the past six US Opens, Isner has advanced to the quarterfinals in New York just once in his career, in 2011. That may change this year.

August 22, 2018 - Stefanos Tsitsipas practices at the 2018 US Open. (USTA/Pete Staples)
Photo by: (USTA/Pete Staples)
Rising Stars:

Stefanos Tsitsipas – The Greek phenom reached his first Masters final on his 20th birthday, knocking out four Top 10 players in succession before falling to Nadal in the Rogers Cup championship round. It was his first hard-court ATP final and his second final of 2018. His sudden climb up the ATP rankings, further aided by a fourth-round run at Wimbledon, means he will be seeded No. 15 in his US Open main-draw debut.

Denis Shapovalov – As the youngest player in the ATP’s Top 100, the 19-year-old Shapovalov will be the only seeded teen in the men’s draw. The breakout story of last summer, the Canadian reached the semifinals at the Rogers Cup in Montreal before reaching the fourth round at the US Open. He reached a second Masters semifinal in Madrid in May and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 23 in June.

Alex de Minaur – After starting the 2018 season ranked outside the Top 200, the 19-year-old Aussie has reached a pair of ATP 250 hard-court finals in 2018, most recently in Washington, D.C., to help boost his ranking to No. 43. He and Shapovalov are the only teens in the ATP’s Top 100. De Minaur made his US Open debut as a wild card in 2017, falling to Dominic Thiem in the opening round. This year’s event will be his seventh Slam main-draw appearance, and he is coming off his best performance yet – a third-round run at Wimbledon.

There was a Super Bowl-like buzz on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday, as some of the biggest names in the sport gathered to share their pre-tournament thoughts on US Open Media Day.

USOpen.org was amongst the media scrum inside the sparkling new Louis Armstrong Stadium, where fans got an up-close-and-personal glimpse of Roger Federer, Simona Halep, Rafael Nadal, etc. Here are some highlights:

2009 champ Juan Martin del Potro on the US Open: “As everybody knows, this is my favorite tournament on tour.”

Roger Federer reflecting on his five straight US Open titles between 2004-08: “I just got on a roll, I guess. I was also world No. 1 at the time. For a long period, I was not losing much, and when I came to the Open, I had all the answers for all the guys, all my opponents, all conditions, wind, night, day. I really embraced everything about New York. I think that's why I’ve rarely had bad tournaments here in New York because I like playing here. The court speed is good for me. I'm happy in this country. I'm happy in New York.”

SEE ALSO: For the first time since 2015, five-time US Open men’s singles champion Roger Federer enters the US Open with a clean bill of health. This year, he has long had the year’s final Slam circled on his calendar.

play video Media Day: Roger Federer Interview
Rafael Nadal on the one-of-a-kind fans in New York: “I’ve always had a great connection with the crowd here. The crowd brings me to another level of energy. That's something that I enjoy.”

A surgically repaired Andy Murray on returning to the site of his first Grand Slam title (2012) after missing the event in 2017: “It feels slightly different, this one, because for the last 10 years or so, I've been coming and trying to prepare to win the event, whereas I don't feel like that’s realistic for me this year.”

play video Media Day: Rafael Nadal Interview
SEE ALSO: Andy Murray returns to US Open for first time since 2016 with new outlook for the former world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion.

Alexander Zverev on the resurgence of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic: “You want to play and compete with the best players in the world. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam, a historic tournament. Having them back, having them all playing the best tennis again, is what makes it special for all the ones that haven't won it yet.

Caroline Wozniacki on her Grand Slam breakthrough at the 2018 Australian Open: “It's something that I definitely wanted to achieve at some point before I ended my career, so it's amazing to have that under my belt. To say I have won a Grand Slam – it definitely feels great. I started off the year on a high note.”

2018 runner-up Madison Keys on fear: “The fear of letting myself down and not being proud of myself is probably the biggest fear that I have.”

World No. 1 Simona Halep on capturing her first Slam title at Roland Garros: “Inside myself something changed. I'm more relaxed. I feel thankful for everything I’ve achieved. These two were my dreams – to be No. 1 in the world and to win a Grand Slam. I always say [if you’re] No. 1 in the world without a Grand Slam, you’re not a real No. 1. After the French Open, I really started to believe that I'm a real No. 1.”

play video Media Day: Alexander Zverev Interview
MORE: French Open champ Simona Halep enjoys the sound of being introduced as the world's No. 1 player.

World No. 2 Roger Federer on his place in the ATP Rankings: “Either it's No. 1 or nothing.”

Defending titlist Sloane Stephens on life after winning the US Open: “An American winning the US Open is pretty big. There’s definitely a lot of things to do, a lot less down days for myself. But that comes with the territory. I think I handled it the best that I could. I've just made the most of it, tried to keep my tennis first. That's really all you can do.”

Juan Martin del Potro on putting his wrist woes behind him: “The most important thing is that all my injuries and problems are completely in the past. Now I'm feeling good. Sometimes I have to deal with pain in my wrist, which is normal after all my surgeries, but I think it's amazing for me to be just thinking about tennis, not anymore about the injuries.”

SEE ALSO: 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro has returned back to the Big Apple at the top of his game, ascending to a career-high ranking of No. 3 before he hits the hard courts in Flushing.

Roger Federer on what it would mean to raise the trophy in New York for the first time in a decade: “It would mean the world to me.”

2016 US Open winner Angelique Kerber on six-time champion Serena Williams: “Serena is always a favorite because she’s won the tournament so many times. She knows how to play. She has so much experience playing big matches on big stages, and I think that this is what she's looking for – to play big matches in front of the crowd here at home.”

SEE ALSO: 2016 US Open women's singles champion Angelique Kerber has an opportunity to win back-to-back Grand Slams for the first time in her 12-year career.

Alexander Zverev on hiring Ivan Lendl: “Practices have probably gone up a little bit in intensity. They have gone up a little bit in value probably, as well. Just having him around on the court brings value.”

Roger Federer on Sascha Zverev hiring three-time US Open champ Ivan Lendl as coach: “I'm a big believer in Sascha, and I know him very well. I think he's going to be incredibly successful, regardless if Ivan is there or not.”

Caroline Wozniacki on role models in the women's game: “It's so important for me to have Billie Jean King around and being able to talk to her and really understand from her point of view how everything started. I think that’s so special and taught me a lot. Also just having great role models on tour as people because we will always have great players. There will always be a new one coming up, playing great. But having those great people on tour is so important. Someone like Serena, Venus, really took me under their wings and taught me the ins and the outs, taught me that you can speak out and have a platform and you can really make a difference. I think for the next generations, the veterans on tour, they need to set the precedent for the younger ones coming up, kind of showing them and paving the way, because tennis is a huge sport, the biggest women's sport in the world. We really have a huge platform, and I think we just need to use it.”

Hall of Famer Virginia Wade, who 50 years ago ushered in the Open era by winning the 1968 US Open, on returning to New York: “One of the best things about winning is that they treat you so well as a past champion. You can sit in the President’s Box. You get the best seat in the house… Before they had Arthur Ashe Stadium, they played in Louis Armstrong Stadium. As past champions, we were allowed to sit in a little corner box. We would sit with Vic Seixas, Fred Stolle – all these other past champions. You were floor level watching Agassi, Sampras, Connors, Borg, particularly the Chris and Martina matches. That was really unbelievable.”

Just like that the final Grand Slam event of the year is here. The Big Three, Roger Federer (Australia), Rafael Nadal (French) and Novak Djokovic (Wimbledon), won the first three majors of the year. The US Open could very well determine which one is the head of the 2018 class.

The women have divvied up the first three majors as well, with Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber hoisting the respective winner's trophies.

How will things play out in New York? Our experts share their picks:

Men's singles
DRYSDALE SHRIVER GILBERT MCENROE
Nadal Nadal Nadal Nadal
Evert Fernandez
Nadal Nadal
Women's singles
DRYSDALE SHRIVER GILBERT MCENROE
Halep Halep Stephens Stephens
Evert Fernandez
Halep Kerber
Men's surprise pick
One player 17th or lower in the rankings who can make an impact:

DRYSDALE SHRIVER GILBERT MCENROE
Nishikori Nishikori Raonic Tsitsipas
Evert Fernandez
Raonic Kyrgios
Women's surprise pick
One player 17th or lower in the rankings who can make an impact:

DRYSDALE SHRIVER GILBERT MCENROE
S. Williams Sabalenka Kontaveit Sabalenka
Shriver Fernandez
S. Williams S. Williams

US Open 2018 dla kilku tenisistów będzie ostatnim dużym turniejem w karierze. Julien Benneteau, Giller Muller, Michał Jużny, Florian Mayer i David Ferrer w Nowym Jorku po raz ostatni zaprezentują się na poziomie Wielkiego Szlema.

US Open: "Wielka Czwórka" znowu razem. Po raz pierwszy od 13 miesięcy
Niektórzy sympatycy tenisa nazywają go "najlepszym tenisistą w historii bez zdobytego tytułu ATP". Mimo że Francuz był 25. graczem świata, doszedł do ćwierćfinału wielkoszlemowego Rolanda Garrosa, a w deblu zdobył 12 trofeów, w tym jeden Wielkiego Szlema (Roland Garros 2014), nigdy nie wygrał singlowego turnieju rangi ATP World Tour. W finałach wystąpił aż dziesięciokrotnie. Pierwszy raz w 2008 roku, ostatni - w 2014. Ani razu jednak nie mógł się cieszyć z triumfu.

36-letni obecnie Benneteau w ostatnim czasie zmagał się z problemami z łokciem. O zakończeniu kariery myślał już w ubiegłym sezonie, ale postanowił przedłużyć swoje tenisowe życie o jeden rok. Jak zapowiedział, US Open będzie jego ostatnim singlowym występem, choć jeśli Francja awansuje do finału Pucharu Davisa, będzie do dyspozycji w listopadowym pojedynku. Plany po zakończeniu kariery już ma. Zostanie kapitanem reprezentacji Francji w Pucharze Federacji.

W I rundzie US Open 2018, we wtorek, Benneteau zagra z Włochem Marco Cecchinato. US Open 2018 dla kilku tenisistów będzie ostatnim dużym turniejem w karierze. Julien Benneteau, Giller Muller, Michał Jużny, Florian Mayer i David Ferrer w Nowym Jorku po raz ostatni zaprezentują się na poziomie Wielkiego Szlema.

US Open: "Wielka Czwórka" znowu razem. Po raz pierwszy od 13 miesięcy
Niektórzy sympatycy tenisa nazywają go "najlepszym tenisistą w historii bez zdobytego tytułu ATP". Mimo że Francuz był 25. graczem świata, doszedł do ćwierćfinału wielkoszlemowego Rolanda Garrosa, a w deblu zdobył 12 trofeów, w tym jeden Wielkiego Szlema (Roland Garros 2014), nigdy nie wygrał singlowego turnieju rangi ATP World Tour. W finałach wystąpił aż dziesięciokrotnie. Pierwszy raz w 2008 roku, ostatni - w 2014. Ani razu jednak nie mógł się cieszyć z triumfu.
REKLAMA

36-letni obecnie Benneteau w ostatnim czasie zmagał się z problemami z łokciem. O zakończeniu kariery myślał już w ubiegłym sezonie, ale postanowił przedłużyć swoje tenisowe życie o jeden rok. Jak zapowiedział, US Open będzie jego ostatnim singlowym występem, choć jeśli Francja awansuje do finału Pucharu Davisa, będzie do dyspozycji w listopadowym pojedynku. Plany po zakończeniu kariery już ma. Zostanie kapitanem reprezentacji Francji w Pucharze Federacji.

W I rundzie US Open 2018, we wtorek, Benneteau zagra z Włochem Marco Cecchinato.