Harrison vs Raonic vs Dimitrov vs Tomic: Which youngster has the most potential?

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt 1948

It’s not all doom and gloom.
In the past few days we have had a lot of talk about the lack of tennis players 18 and under in the top 500. Valid points, I must say, have been raised, but let’s not get too disheartened.
There are quite a few players aged between 19 and 21 who, in my mind, have the potential to dominate the game. And, I can tell you one thing: their rise to the top may come much sooner than you think. In this instance I have chosen 4 players aged between 19 and 21 who I think have great potential, and I leave it to you to decide you has the most potential out of them.

Ryan Harrison:
Ranking, Titles and Big Wins:
America's hottest young prospect Ryan Harrison turned 20 years old this May and many believe he will be the player to dominate in the future.
Harrison's highest ranking was world number 43 this July, however he is now ranked outside the Top 50 at #60. Harrison has never beaten a top 5 player, however he has shown signs of promise with good displays against them. This year he won the the first set against Andy Murray in the Australian Open, while he took Federer to a tie-break in Miami this year in the 2nd set. He has not yet reached an ATP final, or won an ATP event, but is progressing well and has time on his hands.
Gameplay:
Harrison has a solid game. At 6 foot is serve is reliable, but not as explosive as Raonic's or Tomic. Out of the top players Harrison's game is most like Djokovic; he has a penetrating double-handed backhand and his forehand can be big on its day too. Nevertheless one criticism I have of the American is that he lacks variety, and when things are going wrong for him he does not have a 'Plan B' as such. His attitude also needs to improve, after watching his conduct after his loss to Giraldo in this year's Olympics I was not impressed. Overall however I think time is on his hands, and he has the potential to rise up in the next few years.

Milos Raonic:
Ranking, Titles and Big Wins:
The Canadian youngster at just 21 years of age stands tall at 6"5 and is currently ranked at number 25 in the world. He has won 3 ATP Tour titles, twice in San Jose and once in Chennai. The indoor hard courts of San Jose clearly suits him well, and last year he picked up his first title with a thrilling win against Fernando Verdasco in the final. This year he defended his title, beating Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan in straight sets. However his most impressive title came in Chennai this year, where he defeated world number 8 Janko Tipsarevic in a final set tie-breaker. His only win against the top 4 comes against Andy Murray in Barcelona this year, but he came very close to beating world number one Roger Federer in a deciding tie-break in Round 2 of Madrid in 2012.
Gameplay:
Raonic, as his height suggests, is a huge server. In 2012 he has won the most first serve points out of anyone, winning an incredible 82% on his first delivery. He is only behind John Isner in the 'Aces' and 'Break Points Saved' category as well. To back up his big serve he has a powerful forehand and double-handed backhand, which although a little inconsistent, can be a huge threat on it's day. Nevertheless his serve remains his most reliable weapon, unlike his movement which can appear quite slow at times. At 6"5 this is not surprising, but his poor movement can be exposed by the very best in longer rallies, which is a big problem for the young Canadian. However he has made good progress this year, and with his big serve he will always cause opponents trouble.

Grigor Dimitrov:
Ranking, Titles and Big Wins:
Like Raonic, Grigor 'baby Fed' Dimitrov is only 21 years old. The Bulgarian is only just outside the top 50, at #53 (which is the highest ranking he has ever been). He has never won a Singles title in the ATP tour, in-fact he has never reached a final. Looking at the stats, it is clear one of his problems is consistency. He plays a few good matches, but then throws in a bad display to get knocked out. He has got a title, albeit in doubles, when he partnered Seppi to win the Eastbourne final last year.
This biggest win of his career came this year, when he beat top-tenner Tomas Berdych in Miami. However he could not build on this and lost his next match to Tipsarevic in straight sets.
Gameplay:
Dimitrov is one of the only exponents of the Single-handed back-hand; a shot which is rapidly getting rarer in the ATP tour. The shot is quite similar to Roger Federer's, a very flat shot and he swings right through it. His draw-back is not as exaggerated as Nicolas Almagro's but is slightly more than Roger's. His forehand, like is backhand, is also quite similar to Federer's. Of course is racket-head speed is not as fast compared to the Swiss (but who's is?) and when pushed back in a rally he does tend to play a top-spin return with the follow through up above his shoulder, which Federer would never do. He uses the slice return on the backhand when returning serve and is serve itself is quite effective. It might not get as many aces as Raonic but helps him take the upper hand in the rally. His movement has improved over the years, in my opinion. When he was younger this was quite big weakness, but has worked on it with Patrick Mouratoglou (his coach) and this has made dividends.
Over-all I would conclude his game as flair, and he clearly has talent, however he is a bit too inconsistent at the moment. If we works on this he can enter the top 20 or 30, but to get into the top echelons of the game he needs to find a new gear. With the talent he has, this is very possible.

Bernard Tomic:
Ranking, Titles and Big Wins:
Well, this Aussie teenager certainly has confidence in himself. At the age of 19 Bernard has already made headlines in Australia after his feud with fellow Aussie Lleyton Hewitt. He has been labelled in some sections of the media as 'arrogant' while others feel he just believes in himself, which is a good trait. One thing is for sure, he certainly has the talent to do well.
He is ranked just inside the top 50, at #49 (with his highest rankings being #27). He has never won an ATP tour title, or even reached a final. His best tournament was Wimbledon 2011, when he reached the quarter-finals, (beating grass court specialist Xavier Malisse and Robin Soderling on the way) before winning a set against eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter final.
Gameplay:
The teenager certainly has a unique style. He can use his double-handed backhand with a lot of variety, he has the ability to slice the ball, as we saw in the AO this year vs Dolgopolov and can also drive it. His forehand is slightly weaker than his backhand, but is still a dangerous weapon. He can generate pace and hit winners with it but also has an option of an unique 'push drive' which can surprise opponents. Thus his game is unique, but also unpredictable. His serve is also a big threat on its day, which is not surprise considering Tomic is 6"5.
Overall I feel Bernard has the potential with his unorthodox game, and will be watching his career with interest.


So, who do you think has the most potential to reach stardom out of these 4?

Goffin

Tomic is actually 21, not 19.



emancipator - the truth is out there.

invisiblecoolers wrote:Goffin

Too lightweight.

"There are quite a few players aged between 19 and 21 who, in my mind, have the potential to dominate the game"

Assuming that the Top 7 spontaneously combust in 3 years time and you might be correct

Which reflects how poor this crop is - not a Masters title between them for instance or even a Slam SF

And what about Ryan Harrison? The only one of the crop who, mentally seems mature?

How old were Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic when they won their first Masters titles? All about this age surely? I say Tomic will do the best out of them but he really does have a mental weakness. Might just be his Aussie temprament.

The Special Juan wrote:How old were Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic when they won their first Masters titles? All about this age surely? I say Tomic will do the best out of them but he really does have a mental weakness. Might just be his Aussie temprament.

No. Out of the four, unsurprsingly Murray's done the worst 'only winning a Masters and reaching a Slam Final before been 21 and a half

Fed, actually was a bit of a late bloomer - but even he won a Masters at age 20/21 and then his first Slam at nearly 22

Nadal, needs no introduction to young success!!

Nole though, was arguably the most impressive of the lot - given he was up against peak Fed and Nadal as he won his first Masters just before his 20th Birthday and had won four just past his 21st

The game is definitely two years older than it was, i.e peak is now 28 not 26 - but this doesn't explain the lack of progress of these 'sensations'. They surely should be floating around the teens if they are to be taken seriously, after all after the Top 7 plus skill guys like Gasquet, there ain't an awful lot to fight against if you're going to be No.1 soon

emancipator wrote:Tomic is actually 21, not 19.



emancipator - the truth is out there.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Bernard-Tomic.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Tomic
According to ATP and wikipedia he's 19 though.

These three are still young, there is time for them.
You will be surprised how quickly you can raise your game in tennis... ok I'm not saying that they will necessarily be the top 3, but I would bet that in 2 years 2 of these players are top 10... probably Raonic and Tomic.

Example:
In July 2008 Del Potro was 20 years old (around the age of these 3) and was ranked 65 in the world. In Jan 2009 he was ranked number 6 and lost in the AO QF 6-3 6-0 6-0 to Federer. By September he was a Grand Slam Champion.
Ok, after that he got injured and hasn't got back to where he was etc... but you get my point.

I thought Tomic had just turned 20

No. Out of the four, unsurprsingly Murray's done the worst 'only winning a Masters and reaching a Slam Final before been 21 and a half

Fed, actually was a bit of a late bloomer - but even he won a Masters at age 20/21 and then his first Slam at nearly 22

Nadal, needs no introduction to young success!!

Nole though, was arguably the most impressive of the lot - given he was up against peak Fed and Nadal as he won his first Masters just before his 20th Birthday and had won four just past his 21st

The game is definitely two years older than it was, i.e peak is now 28 not 26 - but this doesn't explain the lack of progress of these 'sensations'. They surely should be floating around the teens if they are to be taken seriously, after all after the Top 7 plus skill guys like Gasquet, there ain't an awful lot to fight against if you're going to be No.1 soon

That late for Murray? Must have been the year he reached the UO Final then? (2008)

I don't think any of these players have really made any huge impact yet because IMO the top 4 are just too dominant. It's unlikely that all 4 will have even a poor Masters tournament so there isn't much chance for the young 'uns.

Tomic is 20 in 3 months.

Goffin has the game and brain, but not the brawn. Yet.

IMBL nice article but it doesnt shift my view asserted yesterday that the game under 19 is in crisis. Yes there are a few nice 20/21 year olds, but there always have been. Its the emerging grassroots I'm worried about.

None of the British Juniors any good? Golding, Broady, the other guy with the double barelled surname.

lydian wrote:Tomic is 20 in 3 months.

Goffin has the game and brain, but not the brawn. Yet.

IMBL nice article but it doesnt shift my view asserted yesterday that the game under 19 is in crisis. Yes there are a few nice 20/21 year olds, but there always have been. Its the emerging grassroots I'm worried about.

Thanks for the feedback Lyd

You'll be surprised, the younger ones could rise quickly. I showed an example of Del Potro... he was ranked 65 in July 2008, was number 6 by Jan 2009.

The Special Juan wrote:None of the British Juniors any good? Golding, Broady, the other guy with the double barelled surname.

Exactly TSJ it's not all doom and gloom... There are a few good British prospects.

Anyway which out of Tomic, Raonic and Dimitrov is most likely to enter top 10 first?

Yes IMBL, DP was #92 by 18y 3m...indicating the right flight path...but then came the injury and franklynhe's not been quite right since. However, was unlucky against Fed at FO this year and I expect him to do very well at USO this year.

Lydian, who do think out of R, D and T is more likely to win a Grand Slam?

If you asked me 6 mths ago I'd have said Milos, but now I'm going for Grigor.
In reality, I'm not convinced either will do it though.
Tomic is too straight up and down for me...solid but boring.

[quote="It Must Be Love"]Exactly TSJ it's not all doom and gloom

I'm a bit perplexed as to why the future is percieved as at all being "doom and gloom". It's arguable that the best of Djokovic and Murray is still to come - certainly both can give passable impressions of some of the greats from the past for the next 4 years

Tsonga, Del Potro, Berdych. Dolgopolov, Alamagro, Monfils are all talented enough to occupy the Top 10 for a few years

And we've not even mentioned Nadal

I find the need for young talent a bit desperate - I don't think there is anything particularly exciting enough abour the current crop to float our boat and feel that the next 'wow' player is somebody who is currently under 18

In other words, I don't think that the yongsters mentioned will be good enough to consistently threaten many of the ones I mentioned. Ironically the only one I think will is Ryan Harrison simply because he has that American 'I belong here' attitude - not got the shots yet, but I think he'll be the best of them

Interesting Banbro, certainly I don't think there is a such a 'desperation' feeling at all... at-least for the near future anyway.
But I do think that eventually a young gun will suddenly rise, sooner than we think....

lydian wrote:If you asked me 6 mths ago I'd have said Milos, but now I'm going for Grigor.
In reality, I'm not convinced either will do it though.
Tomic is too straight up and down for me...solid but boring.

What has happened for you to change from Raonic to Dimitrov?

Tomic for me has shown the most in the big matches, best slam results. I think he will be number 1 and get a few slams personally, whether you like his game or not.

Doesn't Ryan Harrison have a brother who's meant to be better than him? (Has that already been mentioned?)

The Special Juan wrote:Doesn't Ryan Harrison have a brother who's meant to be better than him? (Has that already been mentioned?)

We heard the 'brother is meant to be better line' quite a few times; let's see some evidence. How old is he?

CAS wrote:Tomic for me has shown the most in the big matches, best slam results. I think he will be number 1 and get a few slams personally, whether you like his game or not.

Interesting CAS
He has reached a Grand Slam QF unlike the other two, and also won a set against Djoko in that match.
CAS, what do you think about Raonic?

Personally he (with Tomic second) is my pick. If he can replicate the serving form he did against Federer Madrid R2 then he can power his way to Grand Slams. His lack of movement is covered by his huge hitting IMO.

invisiblecoolers wrote:Goffin

IC if you like tomorrow I can add Goffin and Harrison to the article.

No idea, I only heard about his brother today. Couldn't even tell you his first name in all honesty.

The Special Juan wrote:No idea, I only heard about his brother today. Couldn't even tell you his first name in all honesty.

If the Special Juan doesn't know his first name he can't be that special

It Must Be Love wrote:

The Special Juan wrote:No idea, I only heard about his brother today. Couldn't even tell you his first name in all honesty.

If the Special Juan doesn't know his first name he can't be that special

Christian? (Wiki'd)

The Special Juan wrote:

It Must Be Love wrote:

The Special Juan wrote:No idea, I only heard about his brother today. Couldn't even tell you his first name in all honesty.

If the Special Juan doesn't know his first name he can't be that special

Christian? (Wiki'd)

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Ha/C/Christian-Harrison.aspx

Will look to try and find you-tube clips of him playing.

IMBL, just think Raonic isnt as good as people think...movement is suspect, his serve is fast but doesnt have much variety, and he's not very consistent.
Dimitrov has turned a corner and has the most variety out of all the young players under 21 (except Goffin). But its so hard to predict any of them even getting to a slam final.

I dont see where this desperation tag is coming from, up and comers are not breaking through to the upper reaches of the game early on as other greats in the past did. Tomic has done well...but I dont see him as a great. We're just looking for the next "great" player...not ones who are going to be top30...that could be any of the leading juniors.

Raonic about a year ago I was really looking forward to what he was becoming, but I think apart from improving his movement Im not sure where his game can go, it pretty much is what it is. With that serve he can beat anyone, but beat 7 players in best of 5 with an element of lottery in his game with the amount of tie breaks he is going to have to play? Im not so sure, I think he will peak around 5 personally but when players get his serve back, no matter how much he improves from the baseline, there will always be better ones

emancipator wrote:Tomic is actually 21, not 19.



emancipator - the truth is out there.

Hah. Are you serious or just kidding? I have heard this before but from a source I would consider... let's say... somewhat less unbiased.

It Must Be Love wrote:

emancipator wrote:Tomic is actually 21, not 19.



emancipator - the truth is out there.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Bernard-Tomic.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Tomic
According to ATP and wikipedia he's 19 though.

I know what the official record states.

The word in the street is that he's actually two years older. Remember the family migrated from war torn slav and apparently certain numbers were fiddled with. There was something dodgy on his facebook account which gave it away (he had his original birthdate on it but quickly removed it when the disparity was pointed out to him). I read a pretty detailed article on it in which old school friends testified that he was two years older than his stated age. In any case I can't seem to locate the article right now but I'll have a look for it later.



emancipator

Hmmm, very Interesting emancipator....and could explain why he did relatively well at "18 yrs" old at Wimby last year when for me he isn't actually that great a talent. I found it funny how he was at up to #27 around 19 years old given there seemed to be better juniors around him. So...allegedly he's 22 in October then?
Could this be a reason why his game has started to unravel recently, i.e. the guilt of concealment is building in his mind?

That said, a quick Google search reveals nothing of such rumours....?

Tomic is very talented in my view. Whether 19 or 21 the fact is that he hasnt played much adult tennis. Having a wimbledon QF on his CV, where he pushed the eventual champ is still impressive. He strikes me as a bit lazy though and it is fair to say he hasnt kicked on this year. Jury back out again for me on whether he can make top 10.

Tomic has Beyonce disease

legendkillarV2 wrote:Tomic has Beyonce disease

Someone liked him and put a ring on him?

"Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh" etc (fin)

reckoner wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:Tomic has Beyonce disease

Someone liked him and put a ring on him?

"Oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh" etc (fin)

No unfortunately his girlfriend lost the ring before she could give it, and then they broke up.

It was the best thing he never had

Anyway why are we talking about Beyonce now

Born Slippy wrote:Tomic is very talented in my view. Whether 19 or 21 the fact is that he hasnt played much adult tennis. Having a wimbledon QF on his CV, where he pushed the eventual champ is still impressive. He strikes me as a bit lazy though and it is fair to say he hasnt kicked on this year. Jury back out again for me on whether he can make top 10.

I agree, he hasn't made great progress this year.
I'm gonna add a poll to see who the highest rated is.

Ok I couldn't find anything on the Tomic age rumour, so it's probably not true.

Raonic impresses the most in the Olympics; reaches R3 and loses to Tsonga in 3 set marathon epic!

His serve was brilliant, I think this guy will be number 1 one day. What a serve!

Don't care for Dimitrov at all, Raonic has everything in his game to constituet a takeover after Fedal have swanned off to the golf/angling tours.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Don't care for Dimitrov at all, Raonic has everything in his game to constituet a takeover after Fedal have swanned off to the golf/angling tours.

Well he has huge weapons, doesn't he!
His movement wasn't too bad either today, while his overall game was excellent. I think Raonic will be number 1 in around 4 years. If not him then Tomic.

I don't see Dimitrov as being as good as the other two and between the other two I would take Raonic because he has such an overwhelming serve. Tomic is much better in a neutral point. Raonic however is always going to have problems with the return and the movement. So it is very close between the two, I would say they are 1 and 1A in terms of the class of their contemporaries. Harrison is better than dimitrov and I would put him as third.

socal1976 wrote:I don't see Dimitrov as being as good as the other two and between the other two I would take Raonic because he has such an overwhelming serve. Tomic is much better in a neutral point. Raonic however is always going to have problems with the return and the movement. So it is very close between the two, I would say they are 1 and 1A in terms of the class of their contemporaries. Harrison is better than dimitrov and I would put him as third.

Agree totally but I'd say currently Dimitrov is just higher than Harrison.
Raonic and Tomic both have huge weapons but we have to remember the surfaces are quite slow these days, and unless it speeds up it will benefit the player with the better movement i.e. Tomic.

Raonic just currently leading the poll atm

It Must Be Love wrote:

socal1976 wrote:I don't see Dimitrov as being as good as the other two and between the other two I would take Raonic because he has such an overwhelming serve. Tomic is much better in a neutral point. Raonic however is always going to have problems with the return and the movement. So it is very close between the two, I would say they are 1 and 1A in terms of the class of their contemporaries. Harrison is better than dimitrov and I would put him as third.

Agree totally but I'd say currently Dimitrov is just higher than Harrison.
Raonic and Tomic both have huge weapons but we have to remember the surfaces are quite slow these days, and unless it speeds up it will benefit the player with the better movement i.e. Tomic.

Raonic just currently leading the poll atm

Tomic if he is going to be a top 4 player in the world must improve his serve in order to get more cheap points from it. It does seem currently that Tomic is more capable of breaking his opponent's serve than holding onto his own serve.

IMBL, should you not add Harrison to this list?

laverfan wrote:IMBL, should you not add Harrison to this list?

All in good time LF, all in good time

I think Harrison would kick dimitrov's asss and he is younger isn't he and ranked higher Laverfan? Harrison is top 40 I think and Dimitrov to me has a weak backhand it was all over the place the 3 or 4 times I have watched him play.

Have to say I thought Raonic was wonderful last night.