Not since my 2016 pick of Alexander Zverev (now in the top 10!) have I been this excited by a new player. This year it’s Alex de Minaur. Currently ranked 208 in the world, this is definitely my biggest longshot of a pick ever.

He has a long list of things going for him:

• He’s got a great attitude. Gets fired up regularly and generally doesn’t have negative outbursts. They always tell you to play one point at a time and Alex does this. Terrible point? Reset, then try again.
• He’s fast as almost anyone out there
• He’s patient, which is rare in young players. He waits for the right moment and then strikes.
• He’s scrappy and steals points that you think you should have one
• He’s a tremendously good volleyer
• He hits the ball on the rise and does very well against difficult servers like Raonic

Weaknesses are his second serve and sometimes playing a bit too conservatively.

Other predictions:

New tennis face for 2017
New tennis face for 2016
New tennis faces for 2011