By Chris Oddo | Monday December 5, 2016

Is tennis becoming a young man’s game again? We’re not sure about that just yet—players age 30 or better on the tour are performing better than ever these days. But we do know that there is a major push coming from the ranks. We saw lots of magical talent on display in 2016, and we’re tabbing these five players for a major push in 2017.

Before we get to our list there are a few rules to note. Nobody who has ever reached the Top 20 or who is 21 years or older will be included on list. We’re going strictly #YoungGun / #NextGen.

1. Borna Coric

The Croatian fell behind Alexander Zverev in the next big thing category in 2016, and injuries kept him off the court from August until the end of the season, but don’t sleep on Borna Coric in 2017. The 20-year-old, compared often to Novak Djokovic because of his build and his affinity for pulsating baseline rallies, already owns 55 tour-level wins with another year to go until his 21st birthday. Coric reached two finals in 2016 and also clinched two Davis Cup ties by winning deciding fifth rubbers against Belgium and U.S.A.

Coric may have regressed a bit in 2016, and he still needs to learn to play more aggressively on the faster surfaces, but with his skill set, attitude and experience, he should be headed for a big year in 2017.

2. Daria Kasatkina

What is not to love about the young Russian? Kasatkina was a consistently solid performer all 2016 and reached six WTA quarterfinals, including Indian Wells and Rogers Cup. Kasatkina has a quiet on-court demeanor, and at times she may have lacked belief against the top players this season (2-8 vs. Top 10 and 1-6 in quarterfinals) but expect the Russian to start to do more damage now that she has experience on her side in 2017. Kasatkina has a very high tennis IQ and possesses one of the smoothest backhands on tour. She plays with a lot of variety and will continue to search for ways to hurt harder-hitting players with variation and placement.

Most impressive of all is Kasatkina’s on-court demeanor. If she’s not completely focused, she’s focused on focusing. We love to see that in young players. No drama, not tantrums. Just purpose. Kasatkina should crack the Top 20 in 2017 and we would not be surprised if she’s in the Top 10 at the end of the season.

3. Karen Khachanov

The imposing Russian has been on our radar for a while but it was Khachanov’s breakthrough performance at Chengdu that served his official arrival as a player on the ATP Tour. He waltzed past five proven veterans to take the title and he displayed a tremendous amount of poise and passion in doing so. Khachanov is developing one of the more lethal forehands in tennis already and he’s not limited by size—he’s actually quite a good mover despite his 6’6” frame. Now that he’s on the cusp of the Top 50 we should see Khachanov in a lot of main draws this season. He’ll surely take a few lumps but we think he's going to hand out a few as well.

4. Naomi Osaka

The 19-year-old is one of those rare talents that is hard to quantify. She’s just a kid but at times she looks like she’s been on tour for ten years—even in the biggest most pressure-packed matches. Osaka is blessed with a giant serve and lethal groundstrokes, but most important she has the moxie to use them to great effect. She’s a courageous player who shoots from the hip. This can be a recipe for disaster for so many players but for Osaka—somehow—it works. She’s a rare and precious talent and tennis fans got to see her electrifying game on display quite often in 2016 where she won 20 matches and reached the Tokyo final en route to a Top 50 finish.

Osaka could be a breakout player in 2017 if she is able to make strides with her fitness and her ability to close out top players (see losses to Keys at U.S. Open and Halep at Roland Garros). Either way, it will be fun to watch her progress. She's one of those players that has a larger than life aura when on court.

5. Taylor Fritz

There is a growing crop of young Americans that looks poised to do damage in 2017 and we’ve got Taylor Fritz at the top of that list. Fritz had his ups and downs in 2016, but he did sparkle at times, winning 15 tour-level matches and playing the Memphis final. What impresses most about Fritz is the purity of his ground strokes. He’s got a big serve that he hits with purpose and he’s strong off of both wings and a very good mover. Fritz will need to improve his mentality and his fitness to start winning big matches against the top players, but he definitely has the talent to take his game a lot higher in 2017.

Four to Watch

There were a lot of players who are knocking on the door from the 21-and-under set, and here are four more players who have a shot to make a big splash in 2017… 1. Ana Konjuh reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals this season and could be ready to take another step in 2016. One day she’s going to be a real player at Wimbledon, that’s for sure. 2. France Tiafoe should move into the Top 100 for good in 2017, and he could be poised to go a lot higher. He’s an electric shotmaker that plays with a ton of passion—such a fun watch. 3. Russian Andrey Rublev has not hit his stride yet, but when his breakthrough comes, it will be big. Be patient, he’s still 19. 4. 17-year-old CiCi Bellis is already in the Top 75, and while we don’t know her upside, we do know she competes like a warrior in the Cibulkova mold.