Top five newcomers on the ATP Tour in 2010 – Part One
The Association of tennis professionals by the end of each year welcomes the newcomers on the ATP tour. Bettor.com takes a look at the top five newcomers in 2010.
1. Tobias Kamke
The 24-year-old Tobias Kamke, who also won the 2010 ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year Award, stunned even himself with his quick progress this year.
“It is a little bit surprising for me to have done so well. Every year I have my goals and I reached them before I expected to this year. We make new goals every week with my coach. I am number 67 now and I did not expect that at the start of the year,”
said the right hander at his trophy presentation on court at the season finale in London.
The professional tennis ace from Germany, Kamke, is currently enjoying his career best ranking of number sixty seven in the South African Airways ATP list. After starting the season ranked at number 254, the German compiled a 7-8 tour-level mark, highlighted
by advancing into the second round as a qualifier at French Open in Roland Garros and the third round as a qualifier at the grass court Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon. He was toppled by Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the round three in three sets at the All England
Club. The final match score was 1–6, 4–6, 6–7(1).
The Lubeck resident was also one of the most impressive players on the ATP Challenger tour as he won the 2010 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby after getting the better of Milos Raonic in the final in two sets. The score line was 6–3 7–6(4). At the 2010
Tiburon Challenger, Tobias captured his second career challenger crown, thrashing out Ryan Harrison in the finals. He also made his way into the second round in Stockholm, Vienna and Basel in 2010.
2. Richard Berankis
As everyone knows that it is a healthy sign when the Swiss tennis maestro, Roger Federer, takes a player under his wing and asks him to come to practice court. The sixteen times Grand Slam champion certainly has an eye for aptitude, as evidenced by the 20-year-old
Richard Berankis’ progress three years on from his time in Dubai with the former world number one Roger Federer.
The professional tennis player from Lithuania who made his debut on the ATP World Tour back in 2008 promised much in 2007, when he captured the United States Open junior crown and the Orange Bowl which also raised his junior rankings to number one in the
world.
While commenting about his protégée at the IMG Bollettieri Academy in Florida three years ago, Nick Bollettieri reflected, “He is going to be a d**n good player. First, his work discipline is unparalleled. That puts him in a fantastic spot. And he is very
humble. He is very sound in all aspects of his game. He doesn't have a weakness. What he will have to do is come in even more than he does now. With his size which is now 5’9, it may be too difficult to win consistently from the baseline.”
Richard started the year at number 319 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings and after one of the breakthrough performances of the season, the right hander finished a career best ranking of number eighty five in the world. Richard, as a result of
this ranking has also registered his name as the highest ever Lithuanian tennis contender on the ATP tour.
The 1.75 meters tall has posted particularly solid result on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2010. He captured two crowns in Nottingham and Helsinki, and finished finalist in Vancouver. He also compiled an 8-4 tour-level mark, highlighted by advancing into the
round two at the grass court Grand Slam tournament in London as well as the United States Open in New York.
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