The impossibly difficult annual tradition of attempting to predict the year-end top 10 American men continues with a third installment. A six-team panel is trying its hand, while the players in question try to bring the United States back to tennis prominence (relevance?).
2015 predictions
Ricky Dimon (The Grandstand):
1. John Isner
2. Sam Querrey
3. Jack Sock
4. Steve Johnson
5. Donald Young
6. Tim Smyczek
7. Ryan Harrison
8. Denis Kudla
9. Jarmere Jenkins
10. Jared Donaldson
Isner is once again the no-brainer choice to finish as the top-raked American. Only if his partnership with new coach Justin Gimelstob turns out to be a disaster of Hindenburgian proportions (it’s possible) will Isner be surpassed by a countryman while failing to climb from his current ranking of No. 19 in the world. I was tempted to put a steadily-improving Sock at No. 2, but the fact that he is out until February with a hip injury is too scary. As such, another one-two punch of Isner and Querrey is the safe–and smart–move. Johnson, Young (yes, Donald Young), and Smyczek have all become solid performers who should maintain their spots at the very worst, but are more likely to improve. Look for Harrison to recapture some desire and, if he can stay healthy, return to the top 100. As for Donaldson, the future may not necessarily be now–but it is imminent enough that the 18-year-old should be able soar past fellow Americans like Bradley Klahn, Austin Krajieck, and Alex Kuznetsov.
Ben Rothenberg (New York Times):
0*. Kevin Anderson (if he pledges allegiance)
1. John Isner
2. Sam Querrey
3. Steve Johnson
4. Donald Young
5. Jack Sock
6. Denis Kudla
7. Ryan Harrison
8. Tim Smyczek
9. Bradley Klahn
10. Rajeev Ram
These picks are mostly pretty safe (I think). The top is mostly stable for me; I don’t see Sock slipping too far with his injury. Harrison is obviously the wild card, considering he’s currently slipped to No. 16 on the American ladder (unimaginable for a guy who was safely on the Olympic roster just 2.5 years ago). I haven’t seen enough of Krajicek to include him here, but he was money in late 2014 and should at least be able to get some great doubles results in 2015. Wish I could’ve slotted in a Donaldson or Kozlov, but I lack sufficient balls. Consideration for lower slots also went to both Vols (Rhyne Williams and Tennys Sandgren), but I’d love most for a third Tennessee collegian to sneak in by year’s end. Do it to it, Brian Baker.
Josh Meiseles (ATP Tour):
Big John will continue to lead the way in 2015, reaching another Masters 1000 final on home soil and claiming a few 250 titles. Bolstered by strong 2014 campaigns, Johnson and Young both will remain in the top 60 throughout the year, while the rising stars–Donaldson and Stefan Kozlov–should make significant strides. Look for each teen to win his maiden Challenger title in ‘15 and for Donaldson to crack the top 100 by the U.S. Open. Bionic boy Christian Harrison will return from double hip surgery and dominate the late-season Challengers.
Steen Kirby (Tennis Atlantic):
1: John Isner
2: Steve Johnson
3: Jack Sock
4: Sam Querrey
5: Tim Smyczek
6: Denis Kudla
7: Bradley Klahn
8: Jarmere Jenkins
9: Rajeev Ram
10: Tennys Sandgren
Isner’s style lends itself to consistency even if his ceiling is rather limited to just outside the top 10. Given he has more experience at the highest level than any of his countrymen, he should remain the U.S. No. 1. Johnson has experienced a steady rise to his new career-high ranking inside the top 40 and even still he finished the year at the ATP level under .500 at 19-20. Assuming he plays a full ATP and Grand Slam schedule, he has great potential. Johnson clearly has the mindset and talent to continue to do well for himself in 250s and 500s, and if he can translate that to improved results on the biggest stages he is set to become the No. 2 U.S. player. Sock is also on an upward trend and looks set to reach a career-high ranking by breaking into the top 40. I have Querrey dropping back from his current No. 2 position because I feel like he over-performed last year and he also vultured three straight Challengers to boost his ranking. At the back end, Sandgren was out for large parts of last season he has a ton of ranking upside if he can stay healthy and knock the rust out of his game.
Romi Cvitkovic (Tennis View Magazine):
1. John Isner
2. Sam Querrey
3. Jack Sock
4. Steve Johnson
5. Tim Smyczek
6. Bradley Klahn
7. Donald Young
8. Denis Kudla
9. Austin Krajicek
10. Jarmere Jenkins
It’s hard to go wrong investing in Isner and Querrey as the top two Americans again; they have held those year-end positions since 2012. However, we find ourselves in a similar predicament as last season when trying to predict the rest of the field: there are no other tangible trends among the remaining U.S. men. But that’s what makes it exciting, right? Though he will miss 2015’s first slam in Australia due to surgery, Sock is geared up for a breakthrough year if he can stay injury-free for the remainder and build on his Wimbledon doubles title from 2014. Two fairly new names close out my list with 24-year-old former NCAA standouts Krajicek (Texas A&M) and Jenkins (Virginia). Both had successful junior careers and bought additional time to develop their physicality during their college years. All in all, five of my projected top 10 are former NCAA players. That says something about the improvement of the U.S. college game, doesn’t it?
Joey Hanf (The Tennis Nerds):
1. John Isner
2. Sam Querrey
3. Steve Johnson
4. Donald Young
5. Denis Kudla
6. Tim Smyczek
7. Jack Sock
8. Bradley Klahn
9. Bjorn Fratangelo
10. Jarmere Jenkins
It won’t be much longer, but for now Isner and Querrey will still remain as the most reliable Americans simply due to their excellence on serve. Isner should stall around No. 20 overall while Querrey has some freedom early in the year to get up to around 30th. After that is where things get interesting. Sock was showing serious promise in the second half of 2014, but hip surgery is no joke and I think he’ll struggle for a couple months following his anticipated return in Memphis. That opens the door for a few others. Johnson’s work ethic and ability to adapt his game has proven to be of great value, and Young’s talent alone should be enough to keep him in the top 50. I think Kudla will have a slight breakout and crack the top 80. Smyczek has an opportunity to pick up his ranking quite a bit early in 2015 but will have a lot of points to defend in the second half. Rounding out my list are two wild-card picks. Fratangelo missed the first three months of 2014 and with his ability there’s no reason he can’t break the top 150 next year. Jenkins is a similar story. Grinding through Futures and Challengers last year earned him a solid base of points that he should build upon in 2015. Side note: this is probably the final year before names like Donaldson, Stefan Kozlov, and Michael Mmoh are making my top 10 lists. The future is bright.
[polldaddy poll=8558821]
[polldaddy poll=8558825]
[polldaddy poll=8558826]
[polldaddy poll=8558827]
The (Not?) Top 10 – https://tenngrand.com/page-2/