Previously, in the era of the Big Three, the ATP was known as the more consistent ones of the pro circuits. Usually, the biggest stars were sharing the titles amongst each other, and even players like Stan Wawrinka needed to hustle hard for any Masters or Grand Slam titles. But with the departure of Federer, Murray and potentially Nadal now, it seems that the doors get a bit more open for the challengers again.
One of these examples was the Masters title of Alexei Popyrin in Montreal, where he beat Andrey Rublev for his first at this level. One reason more for us to look for the ATP’s most underrated players and their chances.
ATP No. 23 – Alexei Popyrin
Let’s start with the mentioned Australian Popyrin (image above), a player that before his Masters title was mainly known for his impressive Davis Cup play in 2023. A great server and baseliner, Popyrin excels with an aggressive gameplan and mainly likes to play on faster hardcourts, which add to his game. After celebrating his first title in 2021 and breaking into the top 100, he had an off year in 2022 and fell back to the Challenger level. But step-by-step, he crawled back to his level and won another ATP 250 title, a career high top 40 ranking and reached the Davis Cup final with Team Australia.
His 2024 so far was an up-and-down ride, with a notable win against Rublev, a Qatar Open semifinal, but also early round exits at the Grand Slams. So, it came as a big surprise, when he won the Montreal Masters, beating five top 20 players on his way. Especially the match points saved against Dimitrov were impressive, showing his capacity on serve and mentality both alike.
The remaining obstacle for him to become a contender for more titles? As it is for most of the players on this list, consistency is the key. He was tired going into Cincinnati Masters, had a strong opponent in Gael Monfils, but if you want to establish yourself in the top 20, you must string together these results. With his early exit in Ohio, he will fall five spots before the US Open, but will still go in seeded and present a tough challenge on his favorite surface.
ATP No. 24 – Arthur Fils
One of the most exciting new faces on tour comes from France, and his game style kind of reminds of Carlos Alcaraz. Surely, Arthur Fils isn’t as refined and tactically sound yet as the Spaniard, but his raw talent and power have surprised quite a few opponents so far. A former junior World No. 3 and Orange Bowl champion, the 2004 born Frenchman made his debut on tour in 2022 at the Paris Masters. In the following year he already won his first Challenger title, first ATP title in Lyon and first Grand Slam match at the US Open. Subsequently, he won the Newcomer of the Year award of the ATP in 2023 and finished the year inside the top 50.
His 2024 season contained a fourth-round Wimbledon appearance as well as an ATP 500 title in Hamburg, so he continues to be on the rise. However, I still think he is underrated, as he possesses about every shot needed in the modern era game of tennis.
Fils can serve great, he has firepower from both wings at the baseline and varies his game frequently. For him to excel further, consistency and smart tactics will be key.
Sometimes it seems as if his tactics are still a bit raw and he prefers to strike highlight shots over building solid points, which hurts him especially on slower surfaces or when facing players with a better rhythm. If Arthur Fils can grow in this, there is nothing holding him back from winning more than ATP 500 titles.
ATP No. 35 – Jiri Lehecka
This is maybe the most underrated player to me currently, as Jiri Lehecka is just coming back from an unfortunate injury at the Madrid Masters. He was well on his way to establish himself as a top player from the Sinner and Alcaraz generation, when he sustained a stress fracture in his lower back, keeping him out of play for months. He had just reached his first Masters semifinal, after already winning his first ATP title in Adelaide earlier this year.
His path is kind of similar to Arthur Fils, just that he was first spotted on tour in 2021 and already had strong showings in 2022 and 2023. This means that the current season is the fourth full on-tour season for the 2001 born Czech, who is trained by Michal Navratil. His focus now will be to stay healthy and get back to the shape of Madrid, where he had to retire against Daniil Medvedev.
Ironically, his comeback tournament in Cincinnati led him straight in the path of that Daniil Medvedev in the second round. After beating Mariano Navone in straight sets, Lehecka went on to take revenge and beat Medvedev without losing a set again. He then lost to the eventual finalist Tiafoe, but he seems to be on his way all back. A bit different from the other two players here, I don’t think that Lehecka has a classic deficit in tactics or consistency, that keeps him from establishing a top 20 or top 10 presence. For him, it is all about staying healthy and finding a good balance of playing time and recovery, so that we can enjoy his flashy tennis for a long time.
Check out our player profile on Jiri Lehecka.
Who is closest to another major title in 2024?
With Popyrin scoring his first title out of nowhere, and two Masters remaining for the season, who could be the next one to make his maiden title? I think that Lehecka is much closer to one of those, as he has proven to string together a title run at that level until his injury and generally seems a lot more mature. Arthur Fils and Lehecka could potentially prove to be top 10 players, where Popyrin still needs to find some variance to his game to be at this level for the long term.
Do you think we missed someone new from the top 100? Or are you interested in an article about the most overrated? :) Leave a comment below!
