As the rankings suggest, that mission has been accomplished—even if it did not quell demands for another Andy Roddick or Pete Sampras. Fritz, or one of his peers, may still make that breakthrough. And while there are encouraging signs of progress among the younger generation, the data on some of them is insufficient.
Like Opelka, Korda’s injury history has put his career on hold for significant periods. Nakashima won the 2022 ATP Next Generation Finals, but he hasn’t climbed above Top 30 level. By now, the enormous up-side of Shelton is widely acknowledged. The hype among insiders lately has been mostly about Michelsen and Tien.
McEnroe believes it’s because they are fighters, natural-born competitors. He said, “They both have moxie.”
Michelsen, age 20, is a rail-thin 6-foot-4 and hit a ranking high of No. 32 in March. His serve is already good and will certainly get even better—perhaps much better. Pundits already rhapsodize about his versatile two-handed backhand. Michelsen reached the fourth round at the Australian Open earlier this year, on the strength of his second career win over multiple Grand Slam finalist Tsitsipas, and an upset of Karen Khachanov.
“Michelsen is sneaky good,” Gilbert told me. “I’d be really surprised if he doesn’t make [at least] the Top 10. His backhand is really good, and he’s really clever.”
