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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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PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Borna Coric of Croatia celebrates during the mens singles first round match against Mathias Bourgue of France on day two of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Borna Coric of Croatia celebrates during the mens singles first round match against Mathias Bourgue of France on day two of the 2017 French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2017 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /

Borna Ćorić, Croatia

Age: 20 (11/14/1996)
ATP World Tour Ranking: No. 54
Race to Milan Ranking: No. 4
2017 W-L Record: 14-16 (1-3 in Grand Slams)

Borna Ćorić is a name to watch as far as potential clay court success is concerned. He won an ATP Challenger event in Marrakech, and reached the third round of the French Open in both 2015 and 2016—impressive feats for a player who’s still just 20 years of age.

This isn’t to say that Ćorić will struggle on other surfaces, but he’s proving to be one of the most promising young clay court players in the world.

Ćorić’s signature moment arrived at the 2017 Madrid Open, when he upset world No. 1 Andy Murray in straight sets. It was a shocking victory by the 20-year-old, who made quick work of the top player on the ATP World Tour: 6-3, 6-3.

Coric also secured a hard court victory over Dominic Thiem at the Miami Open, and defeated Top 25 player Mischa Zverev on clay in Madrid.

With two wins over Top 10 players in 2017, Coric has positioned himself for a leap in 2018. That could begin at the US Open, where he’ll look to build upon the hard court glory he achieved against Thiem in Miami.

If the ATP World Tour is looking for its next great clay court star, then Coric should be a player fans closely—and fairly—monitor over the next few seasons.

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