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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 03: Karen Khachanov of Russia plays a forehand during the Gentlemen’s Singles first round match against Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 03: Karen Khachanov of Russia plays a forehand during the Gentlemen’s Singles first round match against Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /

Karen Khachanov, Russia

Age: 21 (5/21/1996)
ATP World Tour Ranking: No. 30
Race to Milan Ranking: No. 2
2017 W-L Record: 21-20 (6-3 in Grand Slams)

Thus far in 2017, Karen Khachanov has defeated three Top 10 players: Tomas Berdych, David Goffin, and Kei Nishikori*. He reached the fourth round of the 2017 French Open, and made it to the third round at Wimbledon before losing a competitive three-set match to Rafael Nadal.

Having recently turned 21 years of age, Khachanov has unequivocally proven that the hype is justified and the potential exists for greatness.

Khachanov has won at least one match at each of the past four Grand Slam events he’s played. That includes his fourth-round appearance at the 2017 French Open, and his run to the third round at Wimbledon in 2017.

It was at Roland Garros that Khachanov defeated Berdych and John Isner before ultimately losing a competitive 3-6, 4-6, 4-6 match to Andy Murray.

Khachanov’s greatest strength may be his powerful and precise forehand. He’s already learning how to make opponents pay on second serves, and is improving his ability to charge the net and volley his way to the point.

Coupled with his excellent performance against Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open—4-6, 6-7 (5-7)—Khachanov is closing in on a breakthrough.

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