Youngsters making noise at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia -- In the era of continued success of 30-something stars like Roger Federer and Serena Williams, there is evidence at the Australian Open that tennis could be returning to its roots of a sport that was once dominated by teenagers.
Australian Nick Kyrgios, 19, lost in the quarterfinals to Andy Murray, but his run, coupled with a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon last summer, made him the first teenage male to go that far at two majors since Federer in 2001.
"It's a great group of young guys," says Brad Gilbert, a former player and coach who now works as a TV analyst. "These other young guys are going to come good; they want to be in the mix. Seeing Kyrgios beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon or win in five sets here, the thought is, 'Why should this take so long for me?' I think it really changes things."
In all, three players 25 or under reached the men's final eight, including U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori, 25, Canada's Milos Raonic, 24, and Kyrgios.
The men's tour has been buzzing for the last few years about Nishikori and Raonic, as well as Grigor Dimitrov, who many call "Baby Fed" because of his Federer-like, one-handed backhand and all-court game. Marin Cilic won the U.S. Open last fall at 25.
"The way Nishikori picked up, not only getting to the final of the U.S. Open, but doing well the rest of the year, he's ripe to do something big," says Patrick McEnroe, Gilbert's colleague on ESPN and a former player himself. "It's a put-up-or-shut- up year for Nishikori, Raonic and Dimitrov. If they are going to be legitimate contenders, the time is now.
That said, I think Nishikori will win a major."
The major success of Nishikori, Raonic, Dimitrov and Kyrgios is a beacon for the success of younger players around the tour. It's trickle-down tennis economics. In November, the ATP World Tour presented then 17-year-old Borna Coric the "Star of Tomorrow" award, the Croatian having had a breakthrough season and now ranked No. 91 in the world.
"There is a little bit of a paradigm shift right now where you're seeing (the likes of) Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Coric and Alexander Zverev," explains Jay Berger, head coach of men's tennis at the USTA. "I think when the young kids see their peers starting to do incredible things, there is a paradigm shift that really is coming."
Coric reached the second round of the U.S. Open by upending Lukas Rosol, the big server who stunned Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012. Coric later beat Nadal at an indoor event in Basel.
"You can't wait to break through," says Berger. "It's good for Americans, too. We've had one of the best generations of young players coming up that we've had in a long time. You have guys like Stefan Kozlov getting to the finals of a challenger. Everyone is pushing each other."
Kozlov, 16, is the fourth-ranked junior in the world and has worked his way up to No. 455 on the ATP. He and compatriots Taylor Fritz and Michael Mmoh are all ranked inside the top 10 among juniors. Francis Tiafoe, 17, is another player with high potential for the U.S.
"There's always that process of regeneration," says Wally Masur, a former player who now works as an advisor for Tennis Australia. "Roger is now on the wrong side of 30 and we've had such a long run with him and Rafa, but the tide is turning. When you get a couple of great players that then they drag along a generation. ... You get the feeling that maybe we have that ability to have a strong pack of players. Maybe one or two legitimate superstars."
While it remains to be seen which of these young players will be able to break through and rise to the top of the sport, the building blocks are there.
"It's going to be a very exciting year in the ATP because there are teenagers who could make some noise," says McEnroe, who will step down as head of USTA player development later this year.
With Kyrgios leading the charge, a return to tennis being skewed younger isn't imminent, but the threats of a new generation are starting to be realized.
"(This was) a really good experience," Kyrgios says of his run here, which made him a poster boy for the next generation. "I mean, quarterfinals of Australian Open my second time around? There's a lot of experience I can draw on when I come here next year."
