Player to watch: Hubert Hurkacz

Some players silently improve and rise through the ranks, while some do it with a bang. Hubert Hurkacz belongs to the first category.

We knew that Miami Open could see some surprising results with so many top players withdrawing from the tournament. Still, I couldn’t have predicted a Hurkacz vs Sinner final. Sinner exploded onto the tennis scene, while the slightly older Hurkacz has been growing his tennis quietly with steady improvements. They’re both players with plenty of firepower from the back of the court and a solid all-round game that is happiest at the baseline and on hard courts.

Hurkacz has been within the top 50 for almost two years and already won two ATP titles, but this is the first time he makes a splash at at bigger tournament. On Sunday, he has a chance to be a Masters winner after impressively defeating Andrey Rublev in the semi-final 6-3 6-4.

Hurkacz and his tennis gear

Hurkacz is a Polish national who has stayed in his birthplace Krakow, despite many tour players moving to tax-friendly location as soon as they start to accumulate some solid price money. He is yet another tall player (1.96 m or 6’5″) who can move well and hit big despite his lanky frame. Looking at players like Medvedev, Zverev, Sinner and Hurkacz, a new type of ATP pro is emerging, the tall, aggressive baseline player with a good serve and movement.

Hurkacz is sponsored by Yonex and uses a VCORE Pro 97. I’m not sure which generation, weight, balance and swing weight and so on, so if you do – please comment. He is all-in on Yonex gear though, with Poly Tour Strike strings in the mains and Rexis in the crosses, Yonex Eclipsion shoes and apparel.

You can check out Hurkacz tennis gear at our affiliate Tennis Warehouse via this link. (If you purchase something a small commission goes to Tennisnerd, for which we say thanks!).