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

First topic message reminder :

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?

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

I have now added Harrison!

I can't find your young players thread IMBL so I'll post this here.

Bernie T beat Tommy Haas in the Hopman Cup. Decent win there for him and perhaps hints at a bright 2013. It's still only one match win though but it's a good'un.

TSJ:
https://www.606v2.com/t35312-v2-youngster-watch



Good win for Tomic I agree, he plays well in Australia.

It Must Be Love wrote:TSJ:
https://www.606v2.com/t35312-v2-youngster-watch



Good win for Tomic I agree, he plays well in Australia.

Thanks

Tomic becomes the second of this bunch to win a title. I'd say he is easily the most talented of the four. Some of the shots he hits are mind-bogglingly creative. He should be aiming for top 20 this year but, if he has truly sorted out his demons, he will walk into the top 10.

Tomic has the ability to be the next great superstar of men's tennis, but that will depend a lot on whether he can develop a serve that is very potent and consistent as at times he can easily lose his service game to his opponent despite apparently being a supposed big guy who should be able to pound down the powerful serves at will.

We'll see where Tomic is at if he faces Federer in round 3.

I'm yet to be convinced by him.

Last year Fed absolutely dismantled him.

Cutesy players have never been a problem for Fed, he just smacks all their slices for winners or throws something that is too cute for them to handle.

That isn't really a test of where Tomic is. We know he is not yet at top 4 level and Fed is a bad match up for him - his return is too passive and I'd be surprised if he makes any inroads against Fed.

For Tomic, getting to R3 (which will probably involve him beating a top 30 player in Klizan) will be fine. Actually making progress outside Australia in the next few months is the true test though.

emancipator wrote:We'll see where Tomic is at if he faces Federer in round 3.

I'm yet to be convinced by him.

Last year Fed absolutely dismantled him.

Cutesy players have never been a problem for Fed, he just smacks all their slices for winners or throws something that is too cute for them to handle.

Tomic is still at least 2/3 years away from having the game needed to beat Roger Federer on a fast court surface. I won't be surprised if Federer beats Tomic in straight sets this year.

If Tomic even come close to taking a set from Fed Id be very surprised

gboycottnut wrote:Tomic is still at least 2/3 years away from having the game needed to beat Roger Federer on a fast court surface.

What about on medium/slow AO courts?

On his own admission Tomic plays "junk" tennis plus he just does not have the mental stamina to beat the maestro

Agree that Tomic has great potential - if he can sort out the mental aspect he can make top 10 easily. He is still a way of and I'm sure Federer will be too much for him this time. If Tomic comes out firing on all cylinders he may take the first set, otherwise Federer in 3.

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