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Brian Swartz · 08-05-2017, 06:20 AM

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1. Mateo Kaspar(94%, 9.14, +0.01)

First time I haven't seen a ridiculous level of improvement from him. But he's still a year or two away from peaking. Skill/service is at a silly 5.2/4.3, better than I've ever achieved. Still strong physically and mentally. A legend.

2. Gillo Fangio(91%, 8.85, +0.06)

At or close to his peak, and continuing the gradual growth in his game. His outstanding mental toughness means a close match is almost always a lost match against him.

3. Prakash Mooljee(85%, 8.64, -0.03)

Continuing to bravely fight off the advance of time. He's doing that pretty well, and the consistency in recent years bodes well for his chances of holding this spot.

4. Guus Dircx(95%, 8.75, +0.15)

Surprisingly robust improvement, and he's got a good shot at snagging the #3. Up from 7th a year ago, and the technical skills are approaching elite status though they aren't quite there yet. He's excellent everywhere else, and it's easy to see how he caused everyone fits at RG this year. There's no big weaknesses in his game anymore, and he covers the court well.

5. Johnny Browne(88%, 8.58, -0.04)

The serve and obscenely impregnable mental game are still there, but Browne looks like he's gone doubles now. Either way, he's ranked about where he should be, having slipped just a bit below the Top 4.

6. Martin Zarco(94%, 8.73, +0.15)

Another guy who really put in the work this year to support an exceptionally strong mental game. This is not a generation of midgets between the ears: smart, unflappable players are the norm out there. Up a couple spots from #8 a year ago and that should continue ... but can he push higher than 5th? Doubtful. Really needs to dominate on clay. Very good for a guy who doesn't even look to be in the Top 4.

7. Ariel Borja(94%, 8.30, -0.04)

A second straight year of decline when he should be improving. This is what it looks like when you don't put in the work. His physical strength, once a potentially fascinating asset, is becoming less compelling all the time.

8. Sigmund Kronecker(91%, 8.51, -0.06)

A surprising number to see here, but Kronecker looks like a guy who has turned his attention at least somewhat to doubles. It'll be interesting to see if he sticks. Certainly doesn't look like he can crack the players in front of him.

9. Ritwik Dudwadkar(96%, 8.59, +0.14)

From 33rd to 9th is a rather dramatic rise, even if some of it was overdue. Baseline game is there, serve is getting close, but when you look at his development frankly Zarco and Dircx were more impressive. Objectively he's right there with Browne for the 6th overall position, without even considering seeding advantages. 7th or 8th next year seems most likely. There's just too much quality in front of him. Definitely gotta keep working. I've never faced this kind of challenge with any other player. Still haven't decided if I actually like it or not.

10. Jake Jolland(87%, 8.19, ??)

Jolland's definitely one of the biggest surprises: I didn't even think he was worth calculating last year, as he looked to be fading. Proved me wrong a bit there. Still hard to see him as anything other than an aberration. Clearly he's not heading up at his age and ability.

12. Milos Schmucker(93%, 8.56, +0.03)

Schmucker should be the guy that pushes Jolland out of the way. I said last year he'd be knocking on the door of the Top 10, and here he is basically doing that, up 4 spots from 16th. A stall in his steady improvement up to this point does give me some pause -- but he's still better-positioned and more-deserving than anyone else.

17. Ruben Piazzola(97%, 8.29, +0.17)

Up from 29th a year ago, this Chilean dynamo was tracking right along with Dudwadkar until I reached out and stole the Canada crown. He's got everything he needs but baseline technique. Should a see a continued push towards, but not into, the Top 10.

18. Hsuang-tsung Teng(95%, 8.48, +0.20)

A big story a year ago, New Zealand's hope got off to a big start and then sort of sputtered. Surprising, seeing how much better his game has become. Definitely expecting a renewed push this season for Teng.

23. Matthew Panter(96%, 8.24, ??)

Time to meet another American. They seem to spring up everywhere, like weeds. This one is another guy with good mental habits, athleticism isn't impressive though and technique not there yet. He's quality, but nothing to really make him stand out in this crowd.

25. Xavier Dorso(97%, 7.97, +0.05)

Last year I noted how this product of France(38th at the time) has a very high facility for tennis and was being trained properly. Well this year he went off into left field and focused on the serve too much. Definitely didn't see the improvement he needed to in order to overcome very average athletic ability. So he'll be around, but nothing to be concerned with.

26. Valentin Rosenberg(96%, 8.11, --)

30th to 26th isn't anything to get excited about. Neither is wasting your physical gifts by apparently ignoring baseline technique. Have another yawn.

29. Dick Blake(99%, 8.10, ??)

I didn't think enough of Blake to rate him last year, but I've thought better of that since noting he's the youngest Top-32 player by about 18 months, made the 4th round of the USO and SF at the recent Swiss Indoors(500), among other achievements. Clearly attention should be paid. He looks good for his age, speed and mentality being his strong points. Also is more dedicated than most. Dick definitely looks to be the young American to be watching, and I expect him to reach around 5th or so eventually.

31. Benno Duhr(96%, 7.84, +0.03)

Duhr badly overplayed last year and also put some work into doubles perhaps. As a result he didn't grow much, and actually regressed from 24th.

32. Vinnie Cone(96%, 8.01, ??)

Cone is yet another US player. Pretty solid across the board and not spectacular in any one area. I don't see him as a Top-10 guy.

38. Alexey Nikitin(99%, 8.22, +0.38)

Blake leaped past him as the best young player this year, but only in the rankings. Nikitin is up from 61st so he didn't stop progressing in terms of abilities or results. Serve still needs a ton of work, but he should be able to shoot up to at least a Top-20 spot this year. If he keeps putting in these kind of gains, Ukraine's really going to like what he becomes soon.

There are more young names coming, but no teenagers in the Top 100. Nikitin is the only guy to make that in at least a three-year stretch.

Anil Mehul(67%, 7.29, -0.18)

Mehul is maxed-out in doubles now and back to training skill as the only thing left he can improve. I'm going to be tracking closely how much xp he gains this year as I start thinking about exactly how long I want to keep working on him. He's at 5.20(+0.04) right now ... the rate of improvement has really slowed down to a crawl at this point.

5(J). Sushant Chiba(85%, 5.21, +1.03)

Looking solid into the final year of preparation before his climb into the senior ranks commences.

08-05-2017, 06:20 AM	#650
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	2054 Preview 1. Mateo Kaspar(94%, 9.14, +0.01) First time I haven't seen a ridiculous level of improvement from him. But he's still a year or two away from peaking. Skill/service is at a silly 5.2/4.3, better than I've ever achieved. Still strong physically and mentally. A legend. 2. Gillo Fangio(91%, 8.85, +0.06) At or close to his peak, and continuing the gradual growth in his game. His outstanding mental toughness means a close match is almost always a lost match against him. 3. Prakash Mooljee(85%, 8.64, -0.03) Continuing to bravely fight off the advance of time. He's doing that pretty well, and the consistency in recent years bodes well for his chances of holding this spot. 4. Guus Dircx(95%, 8.75, +0.15) Surprisingly robust improvement, and he's got a good shot at snagging the #3. Up from 7th a year ago, and the technical skills are approaching elite status though they aren't quite there yet. He's excellent everywhere else, and it's easy to see how he caused everyone fits at RG this year. There's no big weaknesses in his game anymore, and he covers the court well. 5. Johnny Browne(88%, 8.58, -0.04) The serve and obscenely impregnable mental game are still there, but Browne looks like he's gone doubles now. Either way, he's ranked about where he should be, having slipped just a bit below the Top 4. 6. Martin Zarco(94%, 8.73, +0.15) Another guy who really put in the work this year to support an exceptionally strong mental game. This is not a generation of midgets between the ears: smart, unflappable players are the norm out there. Up a couple spots from #8 a year ago and that should continue ... but can he push higher than 5th? Doubtful. Really needs to dominate on clay. Very good for a guy who doesn't even look to be in the Top 4. 7. Ariel Borja(94%, 8.30, -0.04) A second straight year of decline when he should be improving. This is what it looks like when you don't put in the work. His physical strength, once a potentially fascinating asset, is becoming less compelling all the time. 8. Sigmund Kronecker(91%, 8.51, -0.06) A surprising number to see here, but Kronecker looks like a guy who has turned his attention at least somewhat to doubles. It'll be interesting to see if he sticks. Certainly doesn't look like he can crack the players in front of him. 9. Ritwik Dudwadkar(96%, 8.59, +0.14) From 33rd to 9th is a rather dramatic rise, even if some of it was overdue. Baseline game is there, serve is getting close, but when you look at his development frankly Zarco and Dircx were more impressive. Objectively he's right there with Browne for the 6th overall position, without even considering seeding advantages. 7th or 8th next year seems most likely. There's just too much quality in front of him. Definitely gotta keep working. I've never faced this kind of challenge with any other player. Still haven't decided if I actually like it or not. 10. Jake Jolland(87%, 8.19, ??) Jolland's definitely one of the biggest surprises: I didn't even think he was worth calculating last year, as he looked to be fading. Proved me wrong a bit there. Still hard to see him as anything other than an aberration. Clearly he's not heading up at his age and ability. 12. Milos Schmucker(93%, 8.56, +0.03) Schmucker should be the guy that pushes Jolland out of the way. I said last year he'd be knocking on the door of the Top 10, and here he is basically doing that, up 4 spots from 16th. A stall in his steady improvement up to this point does give me some pause -- but he's still better-positioned and more-deserving than anyone else. 17. Ruben Piazzola(97%, 8.29, +0.17) Up from 29th a year ago, this Chilean dynamo was tracking right along with Dudwadkar until I reached out and stole the Canada crown. He's got everything he needs but baseline technique. Should a see a continued push towards, but not into, the Top 10. 18. Hsuang-tsung Teng(95%, 8.48, +0.20) A big story a year ago, New Zealand's hope got off to a big start and then sort of sputtered. Surprising, seeing how much better his game has become. Definitely expecting a renewed push this season for Teng. 23. Matthew Panter(96%, 8.24, ??) Time to meet another American. They seem to spring up everywhere, like weeds. This one is another guy with good mental habits, athleticism isn't impressive though and technique not there yet. He's quality, but nothing to really make him stand out in this crowd. 25. Xavier Dorso(97%, 7.97, +0.05) Last year I noted how this product of France(38th at the time) has a very high facility for tennis and was being trained properly. Well this year he went off into left field and focused on the serve too much. Definitely didn't see the improvement he needed to in order to overcome very average athletic ability. So he'll be around, but nothing to be concerned with. 26. Valentin Rosenberg(96%, 8.11, --) 30th to 26th isn't anything to get excited about. Neither is wasting your physical gifts by apparently ignoring baseline technique. Have another yawn. 29. Dick Blake(99%, 8.10, ??) I didn't think enough of Blake to rate him last year, but I've thought better of that since noting he's the youngest Top-32 player by about 18 months, made the 4th round of the USO and SF at the recent Swiss Indoors(500), among other achievements. Clearly attention should be paid. He looks good for his age, speed and mentality being his strong points. Also is more dedicated than most. Dick definitely looks to be the young American to be watching, and I expect him to reach around 5th or so eventually. 31. Benno Duhr(96%, 7.84, +0.03) Duhr badly overplayed last year and also put some work into doubles perhaps. As a result he didn't grow much, and actually regressed from 24th. 32. Vinnie Cone(96%, 8.01, ??) Cone is yet another US player. Pretty solid across the board and not spectacular in any one area. I don't see him as a Top-10 guy. 38. Alexey Nikitin(99%, 8.22, +0.38) Blake leaped past him as the best young player this year, but only in the rankings. Nikitin is up from 61st so he didn't stop progressing in terms of abilities or results. Serve still needs a ton of work, but he should be able to shoot up to at least a Top-20 spot this year. If he keeps putting in these kind of gains, Ukraine's really going to like what he becomes soon. There are more young names coming, but no teenagers in the Top 100. Nikitin is the only guy to make that in at least a three-year stretch. Anil Mehul(67%, 7.29, -0.18) Mehul is maxed-out in doubles now and back to training skill as the only thing left he can improve. I'm going to be tracking closely how much xp he gains this year as I start thinking about exactly how long I want to keep working on him. He's at 5.20(+0.04) right now ... the rate of improvement has really slowed down to a crawl at this point. 5(J). Sushant Chiba(85%, 5.21, +1.03) Looking solid into the final year of preparation before his climb into the senior ranks commences.