Nine ATP players to watch heading into the US Open 2023 (other than Alcaraz and Djokovic)

Say goodbye to European grass and clay, and hello to the North American hard-courts. With seven consecutive weeks of hard-court action coming up on the ATP Tour, we look at nine players to watch heading into the US Open 2023.

Action has already begun at the Atlanta Open ATP 250 this week, with five more North American hard-court tournaments to follow:

• Mubadala Citi DC Open (Washington, ATP 500)
• National Bank Open Presented by Rogers (Toronto, ATP 1000)
• Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati, ATP 1000)
• Winston-Salem Open (Winston-Salem, ATP 250)
• US Open (New York, Grand Slam)

It goes without saying that the two hot players going into this stretch of the tennis calendar are Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. The pair are No 1 and No 2 in the world, have won the past five Grand Slams, and lead the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Turin as well.

With the change in continent and surface, however, this is often a point in the year we can expect other players to find form or break out. Djokovic and Alcaraz aside, here are nine players to keep an eye on heading into the US Open 2023:

Sebastian Korda

At the start of 2023, Sebastian Korda was one of the hottest things on hard court.

The lanky American made the Adelaide 1 final and backed it up with a career-best quarter-final run at the year’s first Grand Slam, going 8-2 on hard courts at the start of the year. Then he was forced to retire from the Australian Open with an injury — one which has kept the 23-year-old sidelined for much of 2023.

Korda is back now, and will be a real handful in front of home crowds over the coming weeks if he manages to remain fit.

With silky-smooth shot-making, crisp backhand and a booming first serve, Korda is built to devastate opponents on fast courts. Just ask the three top 25 opponents he defeated in consecutive matches at Queen’s last month, in Dan Evans, Frances Tiafoe and Cam Norrie.

Roman Safiullin

Roman Safiullin has burst onto the scene this year, and could well continue doing so over the next few months on the North American hard courts.

This time last year, Safiullin was ranked No 124 in the world. Now, he’s sitting inside the world’s top 50, at No 47. In the past few months alone, the Russian has made two third rounds at Masters 1000 events, taken four top 30 scalps, and made the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.

While the 25-year-old has no singular weapon suited to hard courts in particular, it’s his all-round play style that makes him dangerous in fast conditions. Here are some of the names he’s beaten since the start of last season: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Christopher Eubanks, Ben Shelton, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul.

With a hard-court Challenger title under his belt already this year, and very few points to defend over the coming two months, could Safiullin be about to make a charge into the top 25?

Alexander Zverev

In May 2022, Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific ankle injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.

It’s safe to say that his path back to playing his best tennis has been tough, with the German losing 18 matches already in 2023. However, there are signs that Zverev is returning to the kind of form that saw him reach as high as world No 2 before his injury.

This part of the tennis calendar is where Zverev thrives. He’s won Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati previously, plus has made the final of the US Open. As this is being written, Zverev is yet to make the trip to America, as he’s in the final of the Hamburg Open this Sunday.

Coming into the American hard-court swing off the back of a confidence-boosting semi-final run at Roland-Garros, we could be about to see the best of Alexander Zverev yet again.

Arthur Fils

Anyone that doesn’t think Arthur Fils can be a threat over the next seven weeks didn’t watch his Hamburg European Open quarter-final this week, where he demolished world No 4 Casper Ruud for the loss of only four games.

The French teenager may be young and inexperienced, but his big-hitting approach to tennis is exactly what the American hard courts reward. His serve is tidy, backhand solid, and forehand about as good as it gets. Throw in what seems to be a cool head — he’s already won an ATP title at age 19, and is ranked No 29 in the live race — and Fils could well get on a tear on at some stage over the upcoming US swing.

Heading into the hard-court season with an ATP 500 semi-final run under his belt, and very little to lose, seems like a dangerous combination. Remind you of any other 19-year-olds we’ve seen in recent years?

Alex Michelsen

Speaking of young players that have had recent success on the ATP Tour, Alex Michelsen was incredibly impressive in his run to the Newport final last weekend.

At the start of this year, Michelsen was ranked No 600 in the ATP rankings. A fortnight ago, he was No 250. Now, he’s sitting at No 140, and poised to crack the world’s top 100. En route to making the Newport final on grass last week, Michelsen did exactly what’s needed to succeed on American hard-courts — returned brilliantly, beating the likes of John Isner.

What stands out the most about Michelsen is less his shot-making or athleticism, and more the head on his shoulders. His shot selection and decision making was brilliant in Newport, a reasonably rare trait in such a young player. This could hold him in good stead to continue his hot streak over the coming months, particularly since he’s likely to get plenty of wildcard entries into American tournaments.

Frances Tiafoe

Who could forget Frances Tiafoe’s run to the US Open semi-finals last year, where he came oh-so-close to defeating Carlos Alcaraz in five sets and making the final?

“Big Foe”, as he’s known to his peers, will certainly be looking to replicate this kind of hard-court form over the coming months. In the year to date, the American has a 75% win rate on hard courts, with a 15-5 record. The 25-year-old feels as though he’s turned a corner in the past 18 months, and, sitting at a career-high ranking of No 10 with three titles already in 2023, is primed to make a big run at home on his favourite surface.

Look for Tiafoe to leverage the crowd support across this North American hard-court swing, and better his 2022 results where he made two semi-finals and a quarter-final.

Tallon Griekspoor

Remember the name: Tallon Griekspoor.

The 27-year-old is having a stellar year so far, and it could be about to get a whole lot better. The Dutchman has two titles this year, both on fast surfaces (one grass, one hard). Across hard-courts, he’s 13-5 with a 72% win rate, and sits at No 27 in the live singles race.

These are the kind of figures that point towards a man who is going to thrive on the North American hard-courts. Having missed a good chunk of this part of the calendar last year, Griekspoor could well be a real challenge over the next seven weeks, particularly if his forehand continues firing.

Ben Shelton

It’s been a strange year for Ben Shelton. In what is the 20-year-old’s first full year on the ATP Tour, Shelton began 2023 by tearing through his section of the Australian Open draw, bursting through to his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final in January with some electric tennis.

Since then, he’s 5-15—not great numbers for the world No 41. However, there’s reason to believe that the next few months will do a world of good for Ben Shelton.

Firstly, hard-courts suit his game brilliantly, thanks to his enormous serve, brutal forehand and athleticism. Secondly, he’s an entertainer, and will receive a massive boost from playing in front of home crowds. Finally, the fact that Shelton simply gets to be back at home in the USA for most of the next seven weeks is significant for his general well-being, given that he’s still young and new to the Tour.

Add all of this up, and it looks like a recipe for the young American to turn around his season and get back to winning big matches on hard-courts. Just remember that this time last year, Shelton was ranked outside of the top 200, and yet he beat Lorenzo Sonego and Casper Ruud to make the Cincinnati round of 16.

Christopher Eubanks

Last but not least, this list wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of one of 2023’s biggest breakout players, Christopher Eubanks.

For six years, Eubanks slogged it out as a professional playing Futures and Challengers, until it all came together this year. A quarter-final run in Miami was backed up by a debut title in Mallorca, then a Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon. These results have propelled Eubanks up the rankings, putting him within US Open seeding at No 32 currently.

With one of the biggest serves on Tour, and an arm-span akin to an albatross, the 27-year-old makes a vicious opponent in fast conditions. From serve and volley, to dominating the net and crushing aces, Eubanks has a suffocating game—just ask top 20 players Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cam Norrie and Borna Coric who have all fallen victim to it this season.

The lovable Eubanks will be a crowd favourite in the North American hard-court swing, and is every chance of making some more deep runs behind his big serve over the next few weeks.

So the question is: will one of these nine players break out over the coming weeks, or can Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic continue to dominate despite the change in surface and continent?