Under-The-Radar Players to Watch in 2023
Here is a list of players who are currently ranked outside of the top 20 that I think will find moderate to great success this year. These are players I will be keeping my eye on because they could either be the next big thing or cause some sort of large effect on the tour as a whole.
ATP
Jack Draper – Draper is currently ranked at #42, but is a very young prodigy with a lot of potential. He seems lined up to have a deep run at Wimbledon this year, provided he remains injury free. He was able to jump over 200 spots in ranking in just a year and beat Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open. The lefty has a big game with a precise serve and powerful groundstrokes, but lacks some confidence. He will definitely be able to trouble many top players this year.
Jenson Brooksby – Brooksby has almost everything. The American has a solid, tactically-oriented, all-around game, but his serve is lacking in both speed and precision. If he has taken advantage of the off-season to do some technical work with his serve, Brooksby should be ready to make an impact this year.
Dominic Thiem – It feels weird to place a Grand Slam champion and former top ten player on this list, but Thiem seems to be improving slowly and steadily. I think the Austrian will be capable of upsetting a few top players this year. After a heartbreaking injury, 2023 may be a year of moderate success for Thiem.
WTA
Venus Williams – Williams has already beaten Katy Volynets at the Auckland Open. Although she is the oldest player on the WTA Tour, she seems to be in very good shape and is hitting some monstrous groundstrokes. Similar to Serena at last year’s US Open, I expect Venus to win a few matches at this coming Australian Open. I also think that if Venus does well in the Australian Open (e.g. make the second week or a quarterfinal), Serena will come back.
Alycia Parks – I’ve already written a post about Parks, but here’s the run-down. She has what might be the best first serve on tour. Better than Osaka’s and Rybakina’s. Parks is very confident and has huge ground strokes, and her movement is good enough to support her game. She needs some tactical tuning, but with a serve like hers she should take the tour somewhat by storm.
Both US Open 2021 Finalists – Let’s start with Leylah Fernandez. I tweeted about this a while ago; she’s out for blood. Fernandez plays like she is furious she lost that final. She made a Roland-Garros quarterfinal, lost it to Trevisan, and then double-bagelled Trevisan in their next meeting. Her serve is slow, but she has hired a new coach who may help her address that issue. Fernandez is playing to kill in 2023. As for Raducanu, I think she is going to have what is basically a solid or exceptional year for a player who is ranked where she is now. The opposition doesn’t view her as a Grand Slam champion, they view her as a fluke – which is actually advantageous towards the Brit. If she can stick to one good coach for an extended period of time, she should make some good results and find her way into the top 30.