“You don’t buy experience at the pharmacy.”
This celebrated quote holds true for every sporting discipline. All the legends and superstars start out as rookies, and over time, reach the pinnacle of glory through experience.
In the last decade, the world of tennis has been ruled by the hallowed quartet — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. However, Federer’s retirement in 2022 marked the beginning of their dominance’s end.
Nadal was the next to obliviate from the limelight. Since the start of 2023, the Spaniard sustained multiple injuries that kept him away from the court. Meanwhile, Murray stopped being as threatening as he used to be, since 2016.
Djokovic enjoyed considerable success in 2023, breaking the record for the most Grand Slams won by a male tennis player. But the advent of 2024 saw the ‘Joker’ of the tennis fraternity lose his Midas touch. The latest predator to hunt him down is Alejandro Tabilo.
In the round of 16 of the Italian Open 2024, Tabilo made mincemeat of the Serbian legend, defeating him in straight sets. Watching the tennis match, who would have guessed that Djokovic sits at the top of the men’s singles players’ rankings (as of 14 May 2024)?
Tabilo’s impressive performance is being considered by many as a fluke. However, the truth is that he is among a few upcoming players, who have rattled the cages in the recent past. So, on that note, let us look at the top upcoming players (among both men and women) to look out for in 2024.
A Look At The Richest Tennis Players In The World In 2024: Roger Federer, Serena Williams And More
Rafael Nadal Net Worth: Take A Look At His Career Earnings, Endorsements And Other Assets
Top upcoming tennis players who should be on your radar in 2024
Alexander Shevchenko
Let us kick-start the list of the top tennis players to look out for in 2024 with Alexander Shevchenko. The Kazakhstani player has had a tumultuous past — born in Russia, he lived in Vienna since the age of nine. In January 2024, he changed his citizenship from Russia to Kazakhstan after some controversial actions.
However, the youngster has hardly let his personal life hinder his progress in professional tennis.
Shevchenko made the headlines after winning his maiden ATP Challenger title at the Bratislava Open 2022. The following year, he made his debut in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments — the French Open, the Wimbledon Open and the US Open. Later in 2023, he reached his first ATP Tour final at the Moselle Open. In just two years, Shevchenko made it to the top 50 of the ATP rankings.
The Kazakhstani player has won more than USD 1 million in prize money, to date. Still in his early 20s, Shevchenko has a bright career ahead of him if he can continue his progress.
Luca Van Assche
One of the youngest players in the top 100 of the ATP rankings, as of May 2024, Luca Van Assche’s career got a major boost when he won the French Open 2021 Boys’ Singles title, defeating Arthur Fils in the summit clash. He hasn’t looked back ever since.
In 2022, Van Assche clinched his maiden ATP Challenger title at the Maia Challenger in Portugal. He defeated Austrian tennis player Maximilian Neuchrist in the final. This win made him the youngest player in the top 150 ATP singles rankings.
The year 2023 saw Van Assche making his debut in all four Grand Slam events. He also won two ATP Challenger 125 titles that year — Teréga Open Pau–Pyrénées Challenger 125 in France and the Sanremo Challenger 125 in Italy.
With over USD 1.2 million earnings in prize money, Van Assche has already achieved what most players take years to accomplish. If he can keep his composure, the Frenchman will be one of the top tennis players to watch out for in 2024.
Arthur Fils
Alongside Luca Van Assche, Arthur Fils has been instrumental in putting France on the map of the tennis world. Fils is a more accomplished player than his compatriot… and younger, too!
An Orange Bowl win and a junior Major championship title (French Open Boys’ Doubles) — Fils entered the world of senior tennis with a great reputation. He won his first ATP Challenger title at the Oeiras Indoors II 2023 in Portugal, and with this win, he broke into the top 200 of the world rankings.
Fils gained a wild card entry into the 2023 Open Sud de France where he recorded his first win on the ATP Tour by defeating the then-world number seven Richard Gasquet in straight sets. Later that year, he also defeated Swiss superstar Stanislas Wawrinka at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. The Frenchman made his debut in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 2023.
As a result of his exploits on the court, Fils was named the Newcomer of the Year for 2023 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The French prodigy most definitely ranks among the top tennis players to look out for in 2024.
Hamad Medjedovic
Hailing from Serbia, Hamad Medjedovic is often the victim of a rather unfair comparison with Novak Djokovic. However, the youngster does not let such talks dampen his performances.
In 2022, Medjedovic won his maiden ATP Challenger crown at the Platzmann-Sauerland Open, defeating China’s Zhang Zhizhen in the final within an hour. The following year, he made his debut in the Davis Cup for Serbia and recorded his first ATP Tour win by beating Victor Durasovic of Norway.
The Serbian made his debut main-round appearances in two Grand Slams later that year (the French Open and the Wimbledon Open). In November 2023, Medjedovic qualified for the Next Generation ATP Finals (a tournament for players aged 21 and under). He won the title by staying unbeaten in all five matches and defeating Arthur Fils in the final. In the process, he became the lowest-ranked champion in the tournament’s history (his ATP rank at that time was 110).
Alejandro Tabilo
Barring the experts and the analysts, not many would have heard of Alejandro Tabilo before his emphatic 6-2, 6-3 win over Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open 2024. But a look at his career would tell us that the Chilean has silently been climbing up the ladder of professional tennis for some time.
Tabilo’s first major achievement was winning against former world number one Paolo Lorenzi at the Chile Open 2020. The following year, he won his first ATP Challenger title at Guayaquil, Ecuador, defeating Jesper de Jong in the final.
Over the next few years, the Chilean tennis player has made significant progress in his professional career. In 2023, he won four ATP Challenger titles. He notched up his first ATP Tour title at the ASB Classic in January 2024. A few months later, he won his first ATP doubles crown alongside compatriot Tomas Barrios Vera at the Chile Open.
His recent exploits rightfully make Tabilo one of the top tennis players to look out for in 2024.
Mirra Andreeva
Let us now turn our heads towards the top female tennis players to look out for in 2024.
The first name on this list has to be Mirra Andreeva’s. Still a teenager, the Russian has already become a worthy opponent to the likes of Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
While she played the final of the girls’ singles event at the Australian Open in 2023, the same year she made her debut appearances in the senior events of the other three Grand Slams. She caught everyone’s attention by defeating Leylah Fernandez in the main draw of the Madrid Open 2023.
In the process, Andreeva became the third-youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament. Moreover, she also became the second 15-year-old to get the better of a WTA top 50 player at a WTA 1000 event (CiCi Bellis was the only other player to do so).
Andreeva has an impressive singles career record of 87 wins as compared to 24 losses with a win percentage of 78.4. As of May 2024, she ranks among the top 50 players on the WTA singles list (Andreeva is ranked 40th).
Qinwen Zheng
A WTA top 10 singles player, Qinwen Zheng deserves her place in the list of the top tennis players to look out for in 2024.
The Chinese player, in her debut French Open appearance (in 2022), reached the Grand Slam’s quarter-finals. In the process, she defeated the 19th seed of the tournament, Simona Halep. Later that year, she also defeated Ons Jabeur at the Canadian Open. Her exemplary performance saw the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) name her the Newcomer of the Year for 2022.
At the start of 2024, Zheng reached the first Grand Slam final of her career at the Australian Open. She broke several records en route to the summit clash:
- The fourth Chinese player to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam after Zheng Jie, Li Na and Peng Shuai,
- The second Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final after Li Na (in 2014),
- The second woman in the Open Era to reach the final of the Australian Open after defeating six unseeded opponents (Sanchez Vicario did it in 1995).
Her exploits at the Australian Open 2024 saw Zheng break into the top 10 of the WTA singles rankings, becoming the first player to do so after Li Na.
Linda Nosková
Yet another teenager (at the time of writing this article), Linda Nosková has caused some serious problems for the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Iga Świątek and Petra Kvitová in recent times.
The girls’ singles champion of the French Open 2021 became the youngest player ranked in the WTA’s top 100 in 2022. In February 2023, she became the youngest in the world’s top 50 women’s singles rankings. On the IT circuit, Nosková has six singles titles and a solitary doubles title.
However, the greatest moment of the Czech player’s career came in January 2024 when she defeated world number 1 Świątek in the third round of the Australian Open. As a result, Nosková became the first teenager to defeat a world number 1 at the Australian Open since 1999. She eventually bowed out of the Grand Slam from its quarter-finals but was rewarded handsomely with a place in the WTA top 30.
Emma Navarro
Born in New York, Emma Navarro is a promising American youngster in the world of tennis. While she is not in the same league as her compatriot Coco Gauff, Navarro is slowly starting to find ground under her feet.
The American made her Grand Slam debut as a wild card entry at the US Open 2021 main draw. She reached her first WTA Tour semi-final at the Bad Homburg Open 2023 in Germany. Alongside Alycia Parks and Peyton Stearns, Navarro became the third American to reach the top 50 of the WTA singles rankings.
At the start of 2024, Navarro won her maiden (and to date, the only) WTA Tour title at Hobart International. A couple of months later, she defeated the then-world number two Aryna Sabalenka at the Indian Wells Open. With this win, the American reached the top 20 of the world rankings.
Hailey Baptiste
Summing up the list of the top tennis players to look out for in 2024 is Hailey Baptiste.
The American was the runners-up at the US Open junior doubles event in 2018. Her breakthrough moment came in 2019 — at the Washington Open, she defeated former top ten player Madison Keys. Baptiste made her WTA 1000 debut at the Miami Open in 2021.
At the Indian Wells Open in 2024, she won over fellow American qualifier Robin Montgomery. As a result, Baptiste broke into the top 100 of the WTA singles rankings. She has a healthy career record with 176 wins as opposed to 118 losses.
(Main Image Credits: Aleksandr Shevchenko/Instagram and Zheng Qinwen/Instagram; Featured Image Credits: Aleksandr Shevchenko/Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Who is the best tennis player to watch out for in 2024?
Alexander Shevchenko and Qinwen Zheng are the best male and female tennis players to watch out for in 2024.
