- The 2022 season has served us with surprises for the year from young but tennis players
- From the Australian Open to Indian Wells and recently the Miami Open, it is safe to say that tennis is in good hands
- The likes of Iga Swiatek, Leylah Fernandes, Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alacaraz are on the list
Who are the most promising tennis players under 20 in 2022? What are they like?
Well, 2022 season has served us with surprises for the year. From the Australian Open to Indian Wells and recently the Miami Open, it is safe to say that tennis is in good hands.
The recently concluded South Florida tournament brought interesting insights to it all with young, newbies edging out veterans in the game.
This article highlights four most promising tennis players under 20 in 2022.
IGA SWIATEK
Iga Swiatek Miami Open. Photo/Getty Images
All the way from Poland, Swiatek is the new world No.1 according to WTA ranking. Swiatek, the 2022 Indian Wells champion got into tennis at 14 but all she wanted was to beat her elder sister Agata Swiatek.
Her sporting spirit comes from her father Tomasz Świątek, who was a professional rower. He always wanted her daughters to pursue an individual sport other than a group sport because it gave them more control.
As a junior, Iga achieved a career-high rating of No. 5. For her first two ITF Junior Circuit victories, she had to wait until April and May of 2015, when she was just 13 years old.
Having only begun playing in ITF Junior Circuit competitions in 2015, she went on to win Grade 4 titles in April and May of that year at the tender age of 13.
Fast forward to 2022, she won two tournaments back to back; the Indian Wells and Miami Open.
Swiatek faced off with Naomi Osaka in the finals in what went down as a fierce game. Swiatek broke in the fifth game of the first set and then cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.
Although she was defeated in straight sets in the first set, Osaka made a solid effort in the second and won her third ranking tournament this year.
The pole admits that she has a herculean task ahead of keeping her world No.1 ranking.
EMMA RADUCANU
Emma Raducanu. Photo/Sky Sports
The 19-year-old tennis player broke all barriers when she became the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam.
Just like Fernandez – who she thrashed in the US Open finals –, Raducanu had never played in a major Grand Slam before.
But, she captured the hearts of tennis fans in a big way since then. She was awarded the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award in 2021.
Although she hasn’t won another major tournament since then, she continues to elicit a lot of interest from tennis fans.
CARLOS ALCARAZ
Carlos Alcaraz. Photo/SportsKeeda
The 18-year-old is a mini version of 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz won the 2022 Miami Open tournament.
No one thought he could end up with such a huge victory amidst big names in tennis who fell off midway. Today, Alcaraz is enjoying the status of ‘King of Miami’.
Alcaraz became the first Spaniard to win the Miami Open title in the event’s 37-year history. He beat Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to claim the title of “King of Miami” status.
Alcaraz was born on May 5 2003 in El Palmar, a village in Murcia, Spain. He grew up in a family of six – three other siblings and his parents Carlos and Virginia.
The Spaniard teen attributes his Miami Open victory to inspiration from Nadal. Alcaraz has watched Nadal’s big matches and learned a lot from how he plays.
Nadal came from months of injury and scooped his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January. He also sailed through to the Indian Wells finals but developed chest problems and eventually lost the game.
He opted out of the Miami Open to rejuvenate. However, Alcaraz says Nadal inspires him so much that he even called him after the Miami Open win.
The world No.11 says his focus is now on winning major Grand Slams, he told Tennis365.
“I wanted to win an ATP 500 and I did it, then I wanted to win an ATP 1000 and I did it too.
“I am not afraid to say that I want to win a Grand Slam. I know it is going to be a difficult path because you are playing against the best players in the world for two weeks, but I am not afraid I will try to win a Grand Slam.”
LEYLAH FERNANDEZ
The 19-year-old traces her roots to Ecuador where her father Jorge Fernandez hails from.
She bust into the limelight in 2021 at the US Open finals where she faced off with Raducanu.
Fast forward to 2022, she successfully defended her Monterrey Open title.
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