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Brian Swartz · 02-24-2023, 02:38 AM

Year 103 Rankings, 11+ Notables

11. David de Laurentiis (24, DEU, 95%, 8.77, +0.14)

Another player who successfully mitigated his Serve Addiction. Really brings a tear to me eye, it does ... well, not really, but I'm pleased to see it. You can basically throw de Laurentiis in the same bowl with Fraikes and Banqueria; they figure to be rivalrying with each other for at least a couple of years.

19. Chris King (22, GBR, 97%, 8.36, +0.18)

'I don't expect much progress this season'. Said I, with King at 27th. That didn't age particularly well. Some of it is luck I think, but he did balance himself out some on the technical side so I'm sure that helped. King has work to do yet, but he still has time as well.

21. Rory Buckman (22, USA, 98%, 8.09, --)

Buckman is a new player to profile, and ... well, he shouldn't be ranked this highly. Above-average power, good speed, inadequate technique. Rory is a dedicated prospect, but as a fast-ager he doesn't have a long runway. He's going all-in on hardcourts like any good US prospect should, and perhaps he'll make some noise in the summers but I don't see him as a major talent.

23. Hector Mendias (24, ESP, 95%, 8.47, +0.19)

'this is one Spanish talent that's going nowhere'. That one was right on the money. Mendias actually put in - finally - some quality work on his rally technique, but it wasn't enough for him to make much of a move. I actually think he might move up to somewhere around 15th though now that he's done that, and Hector does have a couple of years yet.

29. Mark Want (22, USA, 98%, 8.15, +0.10)

Last review was that he's behind the curve, and he definitely hasn't changed my mind with a pretty minimal improvement.

31. Jan Schleicher (20, AUT, 99%, 8.05, +0.47)

Last year's teenager-in-focus made a big leap to become marginally adequate as a serious professional player. Definitely appears that Schleicher is headed for an eventual Top 10 status, but athleticism is merely above-average and mental game worse. There's definitely a ceiling here.

Analysis

This was a very short report compared to the usual, which is not on accident. Some players got old enough that they weren't worth including, a few were 'promoted' to the first page, but mostly there just isn't much coming up right now. If you were to ask me who takes over when Faille is done, my answer would be as follows;

Uhhh .... beats me.

We'll see if anything changes but right now it looks like a strong era fading followed by another strong era now followed by an absolute hole in the ground era by comparison.

02-24-2023, 02:38 AM	#1390
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Year 103 Rankings, 11+ Notables 11. David de Laurentiis (24, DEU, 95%, 8.77, +0.14) Another player who successfully mitigated his Serve Addiction. Really brings a tear to me eye, it does ... well, not really, but I'm pleased to see it. You can basically throw de Laurentiis in the same bowl with Fraikes and Banqueria; they figure to be rivalrying with each other for at least a couple of years. 19. Chris King (22, GBR, 97%, 8.36, +0.18) 'I don't expect much progress this season'. Said I, with King at 27th. That didn't age particularly well. Some of it is luck I think, but he did balance himself out some on the technical side so I'm sure that helped. King has work to do yet, but he still has time as well. 21. Rory Buckman (22, USA, 98%, 8.09, --) Buckman is a new player to profile, and ... well, he shouldn't be ranked this highly. Above-average power, good speed, inadequate technique. Rory is a dedicated prospect, but as a fast-ager he doesn't have a long runway. He's going all-in on hardcourts like any good US prospect should, and perhaps he'll make some noise in the summers but I don't see him as a major talent. 23. Hector Mendias (24, ESP, 95%, 8.47, +0.19) 'this is one Spanish talent that's going nowhere'. That one was right on the money. Mendias actually put in - finally - some quality work on his rally technique, but it wasn't enough for him to make much of a move. I actually think he might move up to somewhere around 15th though now that he's done that, and Hector does have a couple of years yet. 29. Mark Want (22, USA, 98%, 8.15, +0.10) Last review was that he's behind the curve, and he definitely hasn't changed my mind with a pretty minimal improvement. 31. Jan Schleicher (20, AUT, 99%, 8.05, +0.47) Last year's teenager-in-focus made a big leap to become marginally adequate as a serious professional player. Definitely appears that Schleicher is headed for an eventual Top 10 status, but athleticism is merely above-average and mental game worse. There's definitely a ceiling here. Analysis This was a very short report compared to the usual, which is not on accident. Some players got old enough that they weren't worth including, a few were 'promoted' to the first page, but mostly there just isn't much coming up right now. If you were to ask me who takes over when Faille is done, my answer would be as follows; Uhhh .... beats me. We'll see if anything changes but right now it looks like a strong era fading followed by another strong era now followed by an absolute hole in the ground era by comparison. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 02-24-2023 at 02:39 AM.