The next big stars in tennis
The majestic phase, also known as the “Big 4” in tennis, set by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray seems to be coming to an end. It was expected to happen at some point or the other, but, much to the disappointment of many people, it looks like that it is going to happen soon. Meanwhile, in women's tennis, even though it is not as consistent as men’s tennis, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova’s dominance looks to be coming to an end.Even though Federer is playing like a youngster currently, he is growing old, and the world will miss his magic in a few years from now. Nadal has been plagued by injuries recently and we have to wait and watch whether he can make a winning return after a surgery to his appendix. Djokovic is looking really strong, but has recently had a lot of personal commitments as he has just become a father. Murray has had an extremely disappointing season as he in the race to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. The U.S Open 2014 final between Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori was the first time in 9 years that one of the “big 4” did not appear in the final. The past 2 years or so has seen many a players who have been on the rise and have had some brilliant, consistent results over the past 2 years. They pose a major threat to the “BIg 4” of men’s tennis, and probably the “Big 2” of Women’s tennis. Here is a list of the probable next big stars in tennis ( men and women ).
#5 Grigor Dimitrov
It would such an honour and a big compliment to be compared to a young Federer, and also nicknamed “Baby Federer”. This is something which the big Bulgarian has earned over the years with his style of play and the success he has had. Dimitrov started off his tennis career by winning the Junior Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the U.S Open in 2008. His style of play is very attacking and he got dubbed as baby Federer as early as the age of 16.
Dimitrov became the highest ranked Bulgarian tennis player, ranked no. 85 in January 2011 after reaching the second round of the Australian Open where he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka. It took Grigor some time to make his mark as he won his first ATP title in 2013.
His good run in 2013 made him reach the top 30 for the first time after the Monte Carlo Masters. His biggest win of his career came when he beat Novak Djokovic in 3 sets in the Mutua Madrid Open. It was at the Stockholm Open where Dimitrov won his first ATP title by defeating top seed David Ferrer in the final, coming back from a set down, becoming the first ever male Bulgarian player in the Open era to win such a title.
2014 was the best year for him where he won 3 titles on 3 different surfaces. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, semifinals of Wimbledon, after which he broke into the top 10 for the first time in his career.
He is currently at no. 11 in the world and has an outside chance to qualify for the World Tour Finals, but one can expect big things from the big Bulgarian in the future.