The grass is here: eight players to watch closely

With his large frame and his service of the same ilk, Hubert Hurkacz is the prototype of the dangerous player on grass. The man who will forever remain Federer’s last Grand Slam winner, reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2021 and won the title in Halle two years ago. Last season, he had experienced a little less success, whether during the preparation tournaments, or at Wimbledon, where he had the misfortune of running into Djokovic in the eighth. Better ranked than twelve months ago, he can hope for a slightly more favorable picture in the first week. Watch out for him at the start of summer.

Australia
25 years
9th in the world

Alex de Minaur enters the grass season with the best ranking of his career (9th) in the wake of constant progress in recent months. Full of confidence, and after a convincing Roland-Garros (quarter-final), watch out for him. He had stumbled in the 2nd round at Wimbledon (against Matteo Berrettini) in 2023, but had still previously reached the final at Queen’s. Also titled at Eastbourne three years ago, the Australian will perhaps finally shine at Wimbledon, where he has only reached the second week once, for a very frustrating eighth: that was two years ago and he was taken out by… Cristian Garin, thus missing a quarter against his compatriot Nick Kyrgios.

Bulgaria
33 Years
10th in the world

Grigor Dimitrov is celebrating a birthday that doesn’t make us any younger, and neither does he. 10 years ago, he reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon, losing to future champion Novak Djokovic. The same year, he was titled at Queen’s. It is an understatement to say that he has not confirmed in the London temple since since we have never seen him again in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, and rarely in the second week (two eighths). So why him? Because in recent months the Bulgarian has found a form of consistency that we no longer knew he had and his game suits the grass as it is today. If he is in a good mood, there is no reason not to see him to his advantage.

UNITED STATES
27 years old
12th in the world

Two years ago, Taylor Fritz came very close to the final four at Wimbledon, losing in the quarterfinals against Rafael Nadal during a memorable duel from which the Spaniard emerged victorious despite an injury, which he would also recover pay dearly. For the rest, the Californian has rarely shone at the All England Club and he frankly disappointed last year (defeat in the 2nd round against Mikael Ymer). It is better than his poor green record for the summer of 2023: 3 small victories in 4 tournaments. It was at Eastbourne, in 2019, that he won his first title on the main circuit, before doing it again in 2022. But overall, there is an “underachiever” side to Fritz on grass. Will times change?

UNITED STATES
21 years old
14th in the world

We sometimes forget it, but Ben Shelton is still a beginner who is trying to adapt to life on the circuit and to the different subtleties of the game from one surface to another. Last year, he almost discovered the grass and seeing him come out very early at Queen’s and at Wimbledon was not a huge surprise. But the American undeniably has weapons, starting with this gigantic first ball which drops to more than 200 on average. It’s not everything, but it’s an interesting base. We will see him this week in Stuttgart. He still needs time and understanding, but eventually, we would see Shelton having fun on grass.

“I love playing on grass. Last year I didn’t win a match, but it’s a surface I like.” Ugo Humbert is right. In 2023, he had been a living paradox on grass. It is THE surface that is made for his tennis more than any other, let us remember that he has already been titled at Halle, which is not nothing, and it is also where he reached the round of 16 in a Grand Slam for the only time (in 2019). But he can and must do much better. ranking should allow him to avoid a too complex start to the tournament at Wimbledon. One question remains: where is he physically?

Same question, even more global: where is Félix Auger-Aliassime really at? In the rankings, he found some color with his final (lucky, at least in part) in Madrid and his eighth in Paris which allowed him to re-enter the Top 20. But we are still far from the level that was his there ago two-three years. Since his quarter-final in 2022, the Canadian has suffered two huge hiccups at Wimbledon with two eliminations in the first round against the Americans Cressy and Mmoh. He likes this surface but has not yet expressed himself on it as he would like. If his body leaves him alone, he can play spoilsport on grass.

Is there a player happier than clay leaving the field open to grass? Probably not. Adrian Mannarino discusses his favorite part of the calendar. The one where his game finds a smile and him with it. He will be seeded at Wimbledon and can hope for a slightly less catastrophic picture than in certain years. The French left-hander plays quite big since, from Hertogenbosch to Newport, he played five tournaments last year and collected nearly 600 ATP points with a title (Newport) and a final (Mallorca), and also a quarter at Queens . But he arrives at his favorite playground. It’s up to him to take advantage of it.