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Brian Swartz · 09-20-2022, 11:13 PM

Year 100 Rankings, 11-32

As usual, for this section I'm just going to focus on the players who are still improving. The ones who are past their peak are either has-beens or never-weres here, in terms of relevance at the top of tennis.

13. Raul Ramirez (25, MEX, 93%, 8.51)

Ramirez is an extremely talented player, but in terms of endurance and athleticism merely good. This has pretty much put a lid on what he's achieved; might sneak into the Top 10 at some point, but I don't expect a lot more improvement here. At 13th he's currently sitting at his career high, and technical skills are still a bit wanting.

15. Oleg Urazov (22, CAN, 98%, 8.62)

Urazov is a player we mentioned earlier in the year; he's good enough that he probably should be a few spots higher. But since he's not yet quite ready to push out any of the top eight players, I wouldn't expect any major fireworks this year. It has seemed to me anecdotally that he's been slow to improve; definitely the rally ability at 4.6 skill needs quite a bit of work. Power, speed, dedication are all there, so we'll see if Oleg can take major steps this year and get to a level where he can seriously challenge his betters.

19. Dominic Stricker (23, SUI, 97%, 8.45)

Stricker's just a bit short on the technical side, but has excellent speed, solid elsewhere, and just the natural giftedness at 5.0 talent helps him along as well. Endurance is definitely on the lower side for a top player, so he'll need every bit of that extra bonus to reach higher. I'm thinking he should definitely reach the Top 10 but beyond that I'm not sure.

20. Pet Sampras (24, FRA, 93%, 8.25)

A fast-rising Frenchman, Sampras is already nearing the top of his arc. Above-average across the board but not particularly special, his technical skills aren't there yet and I don't think there's enough time to get them there. I doubt 'Pet' every cracks the first page.

21. Goya Banqueria (21, ESP, 99%, 8.22)

Another fast-riser, Banqueria has more time. He's carried by excellent athleticism, especially in the strength category, but it's rare to see a player pushing to the top 20 with only 4.3 skill. He's got the endurance to raise that, and as a clay specialist Goya appears to have just ridden that to a quick rise up the rankings. He'll probably stall here for a bit, but definitely should find his way a top-five placing eventually if he's well handled.

23. Ignacia Saravia (23, ESP, 93%, 8.38)

Much less meteoric, Saravia has demonstrated an aptitude for the spoiler-style upset multiple times this past year. A good serve and an outstanding ability to handle pressure situations have helped him to overcome lacking baseline play. He's also athletic enough to hang with most of the top players. Ignacia is never going to be a champion, but I would expect that he'll be a threat for at least another couple of years.

24. Jerome Kim (24, SUI, 97%, 8.00)

Another player riding an impressive gift (4.9 talent), but lacking the dedication to really make it stick. Kim has done well to reach this high at his current abilities. If I had to guess, I'd say he tops out in the low teens, or maybe at the bottom of the first page.

26. George Voronets (22, RUS, 96%, 8.08)

Voronets is a max-aging player who recently arrived on the scene and is already starting to feel the effects of biology ticking. He's put in the effort to have a quality serve, with the rest of his game paying somewhat of a penalty. Really quite balanced otherwise, good all-around player who figures to be good enough to be annoying, but not stick around long enough to be great.

30. Santino Consiglio (24, ITA, 94%, 8.25)

Compared to some of the others, it feels like Consiglio should be perhaps ten spots higher. The mental game is a weakness; so is the fact that too much effort was spoiled on doubles. Still, Santino is fast, dedicated, and is closer technically then a lot of players in this range. I'd like to see him push upwards and be a Top 15 guy.

31. Morten Ejlersgaard (23, DMK, 96%, 8.27)

Fast, good serve, strong mind, Ejlersgaard really needs to make his mark these next couple of years as he's another player with a short shelf-life. Endurance isn't great, and I don't think there's enough time to salvage his technical side (4.4 skill) and make him a major threat.

Analysis

Faille of course and then Urazov still appear to be the big names from this up-and-coming group. Honorable mention to Banqueria. The rest seem to be a collection of not-quites. Overall, I think this will be a more 'normal' era, Faille excepted, and somewhat less imprenable than the current ruling class.

09-20-2022, 11:13 PM	#1288
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Year 100 Rankings, 11-32 As usual, for this section I'm just going to focus on the players who are still improving. The ones who are past their peak are either has-beens or never-weres here, in terms of relevance at the top of tennis. 13. Raul Ramirez (25, MEX, 93%, 8.51) Ramirez is an extremely talented player, but in terms of endurance and athleticism merely good. This has pretty much put a lid on what he's achieved; might sneak into the Top 10 at some point, but I don't expect a lot more improvement here. At 13th he's currently sitting at his career high, and technical skills are still a bit wanting. 15. Oleg Urazov (22, CAN, 98%, 8.62) Urazov is a player we mentioned earlier in the year; he's good enough that he probably should be a few spots higher. But since he's not yet quite ready to push out any of the top eight players, I wouldn't expect any major fireworks this year. It has seemed to me anecdotally that he's been slow to improve; definitely the rally ability at 4.6 skill needs quite a bit of work. Power, speed, dedication are all there, so we'll see if Oleg can take major steps this year and get to a level where he can seriously challenge his betters. 19. Dominic Stricker (23, SUI, 97%, 8.45) Stricker's just a bit short on the technical side, but has excellent speed, solid elsewhere, and just the natural giftedness at 5.0 talent helps him along as well. Endurance is definitely on the lower side for a top player, so he'll need every bit of that extra bonus to reach higher. I'm thinking he should definitely reach the Top 10 but beyond that I'm not sure. 20. Pet Sampras (24, FRA, 93%, 8.25) A fast-rising Frenchman, Sampras is already nearing the top of his arc. Above-average across the board but not particularly special, his technical skills aren't there yet and I don't think there's enough time to get them there. I doubt 'Pet' every cracks the first page. 21. Goya Banqueria (21, ESP, 99%, 8.22) Another fast-riser, Banqueria has more time. He's carried by excellent athleticism, especially in the strength category, but it's rare to see a player pushing to the top 20 with only 4.3 skill. He's got the endurance to raise that, and as a clay specialist Goya appears to have just ridden that to a quick rise up the rankings. He'll probably stall here for a bit, but definitely should find his way a top-five placing eventually if he's well handled. 23. Ignacia Saravia (23, ESP, 93%, 8.38) Much less meteoric, Saravia has demonstrated an aptitude for the spoiler-style upset multiple times this past year. A good serve and an outstanding ability to handle pressure situations have helped him to overcome lacking baseline play. He's also athletic enough to hang with most of the top players. Ignacia is never going to be a champion, but I would expect that he'll be a threat for at least another couple of years. 24. Jerome Kim (24, SUI, 97%, 8.00) Another player riding an impressive gift (4.9 talent), but lacking the dedication to really make it stick. Kim has done well to reach this high at his current abilities. If I had to guess, I'd say he tops out in the low teens, or maybe at the bottom of the first page. 26. George Voronets (22, RUS, 96%, 8.08) Voronets is a max-aging player who recently arrived on the scene and is already starting to feel the effects of biology ticking. He's put in the effort to have a quality serve, with the rest of his game paying somewhat of a penalty. Really quite balanced otherwise, good all-around player who figures to be good enough to be annoying, but not stick around long enough to be great. 30. Santino Consiglio (24, ITA, 94%, 8.25) Compared to some of the others, it feels like Consiglio should be perhaps ten spots higher. The mental game is a weakness; so is the fact that too much effort was spoiled on doubles. Still, Santino is fast, dedicated, and is closer technically then a lot of players in this range. I'd like to see him push upwards and be a Top 15 guy. 31. Morten Ejlersgaard (23, DMK, 96%, 8.27) Fast, good serve, strong mind, Ejlersgaard really needs to make his mark these next couple of years as he's another player with a short shelf-life. Endurance isn't great, and I don't think there's enough time to salvage his technical side (4.4 skill) and make him a major threat. Analysis Faille of course and then Urazov still appear to be the big names from this up-and-coming group. Honorable mention to Banqueria. The rest seem to be a collection of not-quites. Overall, I think this will be a more 'normal' era, Faille excepted, and somewhat less imprenable than the current ruling class.