Ten years later: What are the top 10 juniors doing in 2010?
That a successful junior career also guarantees top positions on the ATP tour? Not too many players from the 2010 end-of-year world rankings will claim to be among the Juniors. The big exception: a certain Dominic Thiem from Lichtenwörth.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Dec 27, 2020, 03:46 pm
# 10: Mate Pavic
His success as a doubles and mixed expert was almost a given. The Croat had already won the title at the Wimbledon junior tournament (2011) and is currently one of the most successful doubles players on the ATP tour: in 2018 he won the Australian Open (with Oliver Marach), and in 2020 the US Open. Pavic is also a two-time major winner in mixed, German tennis fans will remember him primarily as a partner of Laura Siegemund at the US Open 2016, when the two won the title. He is currently in 4th place in the ATP double ranking, in 2018 he was already number 1.
In single? If it only went up to 295th place - Pavic has already ended his career here.
# 9: Agustin Velotti
The Argentine won the 2010 French Open junior competition in singles and climbed to second place in the ranking. The big breakthrough on the ATP tour has not yet materialized: in 2013 it was ranked 166th, currently it is only ranked 384th. At the Grand Slam tournaments, Velotti never went beyond the qualifying rounds.
# 8: Duilio Beretta
He, too, has so far been unsuccessful on the big tour. As a junior, Beretta won the doubles competitions of the French Open and US Open with Roberto Quiroz, at ATP level it only reached 364th place in singles (in 2011) and 206th place in doubles (in 2013). His last appearance at ITF level is from 2018, the ATP website now lists him as "Inactive".
# 7: Roberto Quiroz
The now 28-year-old Ecuadorian has tennis in his genes: He is the nephew of French Open champ Andres Gomez and the cousin of ex-top 10 man Nicolas Lapentti. He celebrated greatest successes as a junior in doubles with Duilio Beretta with victories at the French Open and US Open, on the tour he is still waiting for the big breakthrough. He is currently number 296 in the ATP individual ranking, and in 2019 it was number 172.
# 6 Thiago Fernandes
Fernandes won the 2010 Australian Open at the Juniors, and his coach was a former acquaintance: Larri Passos, ex-trainer of "Guga" Kuerten. It didn't go further than 371 in the singles, in 2014 Fernandes ended his career and concentrated on college.
# 5: Dominic Thiem
By far the most successful player of the 2010 class! Who only achieved his best result in the majors in 2011, with the final at the French Open. That year Thiem also won the Orange Bowl. On January 3, 2011, Thiem was in second place in the junior ranking. In the same year he achieved his first victory at ATP level: at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna with a 6: 2, 6: 3 Thomas Muster, then 44 years old, who ended his comeback with this match.
His success to this day? We know: 17 tournament victories so far, including the US Open 2020. Thiem is currently 3rd in his highest ranking among men.
# 4: Damir Dzumhur
Bronze at the Summer Youth Olympic Games and the quarter-finals in Wimbledon, those were the greatest successes in the junior division for the man from Bosnia-Herzegovina. He also made it on the tour: 23rd place in the singles in 2018 was his best ranking so far, and he has won three individual titles to date. Dzumhur, who has also appeared in two films, is currently at number 119.
# 3: Jiri Vesely
Vesely was extremely successful at the Juniors: in 2011 he won the Australian Open in singles and doubles, in addition to a singles and doubles finals at the US Open and a double final at Wimbledon - in January 2011 he was even number 1 among the juniors.
And in the men's race, too, things went well for the Czech: He reached 35th place in 2015, and is currently number 68, with two tournament wins so far. His best Grand Slam tournament: Wimbledon, where he reached the round of 16 in 2018.
# 2: Marton Fucsovics
The Hungarian won the junior competition of the US Open in doubles in 2009, and in 2010 in singles at Wimbledon - after which he was even the number 1 junior. Things are also going well at ATP level for Fucsovics: He has celebrated one tournament victory so far, 31st place was his high ranking in 2019. He is currently 55th place.
2020 was strong for Fucsovics in that he finally defeated Daniil Medvedev at the French Open, a top ten player after 14 defeats. The round of 16 in Melbourne and Paris were also his best results in the majors so far.
# 1: Juan Sebastian Gomez
Gomez won the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, but the breakthrough on the ATP tour has not yet materialized. 469th place in the individual was so far the best position for the Colombian, who has not yet made an appearance on the ATP tour or at the Grand Slam level and has so far only been active on the ITF tour. The 28-year-old is currently listed at number 639.