Most Improved Players of 2016

2016 witnessed an incredible pool of young talent making major strides in their tennis careers. With the Big Four being a thing of past, these next generation stars have drawn a lot of eyeballs and will be keenly observed in the upcoming year.

They have been part of some of the most amazing matches this year and are likely to give the world many more fascinating contests in 2017.

We look at some of the most improved players of 2016:

Lucas Pouille

The winner of this year’s ATP Most Improved Player award is the Frenchman Lucas Pouille and not many would argue against this selection. Finishing at a career high 15th in the ATP Rankings (above Roger Federer!), Lucas Pouille enjoyed a terrific 2016.

He won his first ATP World Tour Title defeating Dominic Thiem at Moselle Open final and enjoyed quarter-final runs at Wimbledon and US Open. Defeating the likes of Juan Martin del Potro, Thomas Berdych at Wimbledon; Rafa Nadal in a scintillating five-setter at US Open, Pouille has also outdone the likes of Dominic Thiem and Nick Kyrgios among the next generation of players.

With some heavy artillery up his sleeve, Pouille came out all guns blazing this year, and more of the same can be expected off him in the subsequent years. With slight improvements in his game, the Frenchman can be a definite threat to Top 10 players, something we hope to see him become in the coming few years.

Johanna Konta 

The 25-year-old British player was definitely one of the most improved players on the WTA circuit in 2016. Her year began to an incredible note at the Australian Open, as she became the first  the first British woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Jo Durie in 1983. She also matched Durie by finally entering the name of a British woman in the Top 10, after making it to the final of China Open.

She also captured her first WTA title at the Bank of West Classic, beating Venus Williams. She won 6 out of her ten matches against the Top 10 players and ended the season with the WTA Most Improved Player Of The Season award.

Alexander Zverev 

One of the hottest contenders for the future Grand Slam champions, the 19-year-old German ended 2016 as world number 24, jumping from the 83rd spot in 2015. With a win-loss record of 44-24 and a maiden title at the St. Petersburg Open where he defeated Berdych and Wawrinka, Zverev has shown the world his potential, and it’s only a matter of time before the German makes it big on the Grand Slam and Master’s stage.

Winner of the 2015 ATP Star of Tomorrow, Zverev became the youngest player to win an ATP World Tour Title since Nishikori and Cilic in 2008. A win over Roger Federer at Gerry Weber was another highlight of his year.

Possessing a tall yet lanky figure, the 19-year-old seems to be hardly any shaky for his age, racking up a total of 662 aces, and a healthy break point saving rate of 60%.

With a healthy rivalry in place with fellow NextGen stars, Zverev seems to be heading in the right direction, and could certainly be the future tennis needs, following the decline of the Big Four. A healthy future awaits.

Dominic Thiem 

The Austrian became the youngest in the year-end Top 10 in 2016, ending at career best 8th spot in the rankings. Thiem, 23, won four ATP Titles this season, only behind Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

With a 58-24 W-L record this year, Thiem is expected to finally break big next year. His wins at Buenos Aires and Nice on clay; Acapulco on hard court and Stuttgart on grass made him the ninth active player to win titles on three different surfaces in the same season.

He reached the semi-final at Roland Garros, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Also beat Roger Federer in Rome.Daniel Evans 

Ending 2015 at 195 in the rankings, not many predicted Daniel Evans to do any wonders this year. But this year has been remarkable for this 26-year-old Brit. He reached a career high ranking of 53 this year, ending 2016 at 66 in the table.

Daniel even had a chance to cause an upset at Flushing Meadows but failed to convert a match point against the eventual champion Stan Wawrinka. Evans also excelled on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning three titles from six finals.