The 2022 season saw a host of #NextGenATP stars make their mark on Tour, with Holger Rune and Lorenzo Musetti among those capturing their maiden tour-level titles.
From Top 10 wins to career-high Pepperstone ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com looks back at the brightest young prospects of 2022.
Holger Rune, 19 years old
Holger Rune’s rise in 2022 was nothing short of remarkable. The 19-year-old started the season at No. 103 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings but ended the year as the World No. 11, having climbed to a career-high No. 10 following his dream run to the Rolex Paris Masters title.
After a consistent start, the Dane’s season took off in May when he defeated then-World No. 3 Alexander Zverev en route to his maiden tour-level title in Munich. A quarter-final run at Roland Garros followed, with Rune upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris.
The 19-year-old saved his best until the end of the year, though, winning 19 of his final 21 matches of the season. Rune lifted the trophy in Stockholm and reached finals in Sofia and Basel in October. Arriving in Paris in confident mood, Rune beat Top 10 stars Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic to win the biggest title of his career.
Lorenzo Musetti, 20 years old
Lorenzo Musetti had shown fans glimpses of his potential in 2021, reaching tour-level semi-finals in Acapulco and Lyon. However, the Italian took his game to a new level this season, climbing to a career-high No. 23 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
The 20-year-old impressed on clay across Europe, reaching the third round at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Madrid before he won an ATP Challenger Tour crown on home soil in Forli. Musetti’s best result came in Hamburg, where he won his first tour-level title. He saved match points in his opening match to claw past Dusan Lajovic before he then defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling final to triumph.
Musetti transferred his impressive clay-court form to hard courts in the final months of the year. He captured the crown in Naples in October and advanced to the quarter-finals in Paris, ending the season holding a 34-27 tour-level record.
Jack Draper, 20 years old
With his big lefty serve and explosive forehand, Jack Draper made his mark in 2022. The 20-year-old entered the year at No. 265 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings with just two tour-level wins to his name.
Fast forward 11 months and the Briton is the World No. 41, having earned 21 tour-level victories this year. Draper, who missed the second half of 2021 due to a ruptured ligament in his ankle, started the season on fire, winning four ATP Challenger Tour titles in the opening four months.
The 20-year-old then quickly impressed on the ATP Tour. He won main draw matches at ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Madrid before he soared to his first tour-level semi-final on home soil in Eastbourne. Draper made his biggest splash in North America, where he earned his first Top 10 win against Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the quarter-finals in Montreal before he upset Felix Auger-Aliassime at the US Open.
Brandon Nakashima, 21 years old
Brandon Nakashima is next. The American ended his season in style in Milan where he became the fifth player to capture the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals title. The 20-year-old, currently No. 47 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, blitzed through the field at the 21-and-under event to become an undefeated champion in Italy.
Earlier in the season, Nakashima clinched his first tour-level title in San Diego, defeating Marcos Giron in the final to triumph on home soil. He also impressed at the Grand Slams, reaching the third round at Roland Garros and the US Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon.
The American will look to follow in the footsteps of previous the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and crack the Top 10 in the future.
Jiri Lehecka, 21 years old
For Jiri Lehecka, sporting success runs in the family, with his father a former swimmer and his mother a track and field star. In 2022, the Czech made his mark in the tennis scene with a series of impressive results on both the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Tour.
The 21-year-old’s breakthrough season started in Rotterdam. After coming through qualifying, he earned his maiden tour-level win against Denis Shapovalov. He then defeated Botic van de Zandschulp and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the semi-finals in a run that lifted him into the Top 100.
Lehecka struggled for consistency in the following months but did lift an ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Liberec in August before finishing the year impressively in Milan, where he advanced to the final on debut at the 21-and-under event.
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