Australian Open 2024: Top five young players to watch out for

Published at :January 11, 2024 at 5:56 PM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 11:39 AM

(Courtesy : Reuters)

Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner will be among these players.

In the fast-growing sport of tennis, the pool of potential is growing almost every week, with intriguing new players emerging as prospects to watch before each tournament giving tough competitions to the big players. Nowadays, the biggest names share courts and occasionally podiums with upstarts and underdogs.

Although there are many well-known players in the game, some new players have recently shown themselves to be serious competitors. The only players who could give tough competition to Novak Djokovic are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the youngsters. Sinner has proved himself by overcoming both, Alcaraz and the Serbian in the past.

In the wake of this, let us have a look at the top young players to watch at the Australian Open 2024.

Young players to watch out for at Australian Open 2024

Coco Gauff

After defeating Elina Svitolina in three sets in the Auckland Classic final, U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff will be more confident in her condition and fitness going into the Australian Open.

At the age of 19, the third-ranked Gauff made history by becoming just the fourth player to win back-to-back singles in Auckland. At the tournament held on Auckland’s hard courts, World No. 3 Gauff continued to show off her supremacy by winning an incredible ten consecutive times, which shows her great form.

Jannik Sinner

Due to his remarkable development during the previous season, Jannik Sinner is among the top candidates for the Australian Open this year. He had a triumphant return to the tennis court, winning the Kooyong Classic in his first match of the 2024 season. The Italian demonstrated incredible skill in his return game, winning almost all of his games with breakpoints, the exception being one in which he lost the serve.

Other than Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner is another player who can challenge Djokovic and do so. The 22-year-old Italian had a breakout year in 2023, winning his first Masters title in Toronto and qualifying for the ATP Finals championship match against Novak. In the process, the Italian defeated Djokovic in three sets, which contributed significantly to Italy’s Davis Cup victory.

Holger Rune

The talented young Dane Holger Rune could break his record of never having advanced past the Major quarterfinals. Though he has occasionally struggled with the best-of-five set format and has not advanced past a quarterfinal, Rune, at the age of 20, is one of the brightest young prospects in the game and appears destined for grand slam success.

The Dane paired with five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray in doubles play at this week’s Brisbane International, demonstrating his enthusiasm to pick up knowledge from more seasoned opponents. The youngster defeated world No. 45 Max Purcell in three sets in the opening round of the singles tournament, giving Rune a more encouraging start to his campaign. He continues to be on pace to win the Grand Slam, having improved year after year.

Ben Shelton

The American player is expected to be among the best because of his string of impressive performances in the last few months. Shelton only became a professional in 2022, but since then, he has made an impression on the ATP Tour by defeating some of the top players. After reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 Australian Open, Shelton may have a slim chance of becoming a threat in the tournament in 2024.

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Alex de Minaur

Alex de Minaur defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a charity match to earn his fourth top-10 scalp in two weeks. After dominating Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev to lead Australia into the United Cup semi-finals last week, the Australian has started the year by defeating four players ranked inside the top 10.The player claimed to have returned stronger both mentally and physically and we all can see that from his stunning performances.

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