No. 10: Hubert Hurkacz
Hurkacz won the ’21 ATP 1000 Miami and looked like he was going up in the rankings. The Pole beat five very good players, knocking down over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner. After that, he was thinking that he is ready to beat everyone in the biggest tournaments. At Wimbledon, he served huge and punched the ball as jard as he could, and he threw in many winners. He outlasted Daniil Medvedev and then he knocked off the great competitor Roger Federer. Yet in the semis, Matteo Berrettini fooled him, and he could not understand how to break him down. And then he lost. This year, he was pretty good but the top players have beaten him a number of times. He had some success, winning Halle, over Medvedev and he reaching the final in the ATP 1000 at Montreal. Yet in the fall, he lost that momentum. In seven tournaments after that, he won eight matches and lost six. That is not good enough. He does look like a fine person, but if he wants to reach into the top 5 next year, he has to add some quality shots.
No. 9: Taylor Fritz
As the American said, he just wanted to be consistent. He found that effective strategy, but not all the time. In January, he began to mix it up a lot, and he almost beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open in a classic five setter. When he lost, he was freaked out. He should have grabbed it but he threw in a couple crucial errors. He won Indian Wells in March, upsetting Rafael Nadal in the final, and his strokes were spot on. He did little on clay. He went to England and won Eastbourne on grass. A week later, he was ready to win Wimbledon, to get down low, and mash the ball. However, Nadal was there in the quarters, and the Spaniard edged him 7-6 in the fifth set. Fritz was tense and he did not play well over the next two months, but finally won Tokyo. Then, he was back. He reached the ATP Finals and he look very solid. In the semis, the 21-Grand-Slam champ Djokovic beat him 7-6, 7-6. It is all about the tiebreaks. In 2023, like everyone says, they want to win a Slam. The last time an American man won a Slam was in 2003 when Andy Roddick took the US Open. That will be 20 years ago, a long, long time. Fritz has the best shot to break that disappointing streak.
No. 8: Andrey Rublev
At times, the Russian can be excellent, hitting the ball hard and he can nail the lines. He has won 12 titles, but he has not won any ATP 1000s or Grand Slams. He came close in 2021, in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati, but he could not pull it off. The 24-year-old hits some tremendous forehands and backhands. He is also somewhat fast. However, when he is feeling very good, then he can swing hard and take off the gloves. He won Marseille, France, Dubai, Belgrade, Serbia (over Djokovic) and Gijon. But those are not the biggest events. If he wants to reach into the semis for the first time at the Grand Slams, he has to reach up into the sky. As he said, he has to be more thoughtful on the court. “If I want to be a better player, I need to improve a lot mental part because this is the main thing I’m doing worst compared to top five players. That’s the main goal.” Then, do it.
No. 7: Daniil Medvedev
The ‘21 US Open champ grabbed the ATP 500 Vienna Open, stepping past Denis Shapovalov in three sets. The Russian has had a strange year, winning and losing here and there. At the ATP Finals, he lost all three matches, and believe it or not, he went down 7-6 in third sets. Now that was pretty odd, almost bizarre. When he is mentally sound, he can pound the ball all the time. He can sprint, he can slap it down the line and he can blast the ball cross court with both sides. He is tall, and he can be consistent, but he rarely goes into the net and put it away. His return is somewhat mediocre. He can be a great player in 2023 if he can win another Slam. To do that he has to make his shots.
No. 6: Felix Auger-Aliassime
In the fall, he won three tournaments, Florence, Antwerp and Basel. He lost early at the US Open, but then he suddenly turned it around. He hits some fabulous serves, and his forehand and his backhand are very effective. Currently he is the hottest player on tour. Before last year, when he was serving, his first serve didn’t do very much and his second serve would be pretty flat and predicable. But now, he is much more intelligent. The confidence is there, and when he played the ATP Finals in Italy, he had a real chance to reach the semis, but he lost to Fritz and Casper Ruud. Auger-Aliassime is ready to win Grand Slam for the first time in 2023. The 22-year-old needs to return better and throw in lots of spin. Simply, he has to go for the lines, quickly, and grab the winners right there.