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ATP World Tour: Rising tennis stars whom you need to know

By Maxwell Ogden

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany serves during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany serves during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Dominic Thiem of Austria plays a forehand during the Gentlemen’s Singles fourth round match against Tomas Berdych of The Czech Republic on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Dominic Thiem of Austria plays a forehand during the Gentlemen’s Singles fourth round match against Tomas Berdych of The Czech Republic on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

Dominic Thiem, Austria

Age: 23 (9/3/1993)
ATP World Tour Ranking: No. 7
Race to Milan Ranking: N/A
2017 W-L Record: 38-16 (11-3 in Grand Slams)

23-year-old Dominic Thiem has achieved a career-best ranking of No. 7 on the ATP World Tour. He’s reached the fourth round at four consecutive Grand Slam events, including the 2016 US Open, and appears to be on the brink of a breakthrough.

Consistently improving and proven against a high level of competition, Thiem has all of the tools to one day hold the world No. 1 ranking.

Thiem has reached the semifinals of the French Open in consecutive years, thus establishing his clay court brilliance. In 2017 alone, he’s defeated Novak Djokovic at the French Open, Rafael Nadal in Rome, and Andy Murray in Barcelona.

Those three victories are a sign of how close Thiem is to evolving from a borderline superstar into one of the truly elite players on the ATP World Tour.

While Thiem may still have work to do, the fact that he’s No. 7 in the world at 23 years of age is a testament to his potential. Brilliant on defense with long and powerful ground strokes, Thiem is overwhelmingly close to a leap into the Top 5.

If Thiem continues to develop at his current rate, there’s reason to believe that he’ll become one of the faces of the next generation.

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