10 Rising Bros on Tour

Internet,

For all of my close friends who are wanting some sort of elaborate laugh riot of an account of my trip to Las Vegas, let's use our phones instead.

EARTH LAW: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; says every person ever when you tell them you are going to or went to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas did, however, enlighten me to the fact that there are NO good places to grab a slice of Pizza in Jackson; sorry Sbarros.

I am shifting my attention towards the coming ATP World Tour season. Just like the respawn of any sport, it offers promise. The Djoker hasn't yet won the Aussie, Rafa hasn't yet won the French, the baselines haven't been rubbed raw at Wimby and the Americans haven't all been eliminated in the first week of the US Open. Just kidding we always make the quarters before getting our gizzards ripped out by the rest of the world.

I declared last season the Year of the Dolg expecting Novak BROkovic to fall off the top of the pedestal and Alexandr BROgopolov to make his entry into the sport's top 10. This did not happen. Dolgo peaked at 13 and Nole never fell below number 2. This bold prediction of mine was wrong for the following:
-Dolgo started the year by losing to the eventual Cinderella man of the sport, Andy Murray in the Brisbane final. He then lost to the hometown blue blood Bernard Tomic in the 3rd round of the Aussie Open. The 3rd Round would be his best finish at a major in 2012. Nowhere to go but up from here.
-Novak Djokovic is really the Apex Predator of the ATP World Tour right now. I say this about once every 3 posts on here, but the dude really is the Randy Orton of Professional Tennis. When you think about Novak Djokovic, you have to consider the cover-all court movement, the flexibility of a gymnast, the ability to hit a winner with all shots from anywhere in the court, the best backhand of all time (like Randy's RKO being the best finisher of all time) and Jelena Ristic. I wouldn't mind having her cheer for all of my Rec League matches right?

Moving forward with the new season, I have a list of 10 bros who I think will be ranked higher at the end of 2013 then they were at the end of 2012.

Ready. Set. BRO.

1. Bernard Tomic- Ok let's just get this one out of the way. Yes he has run into some trouble with the law, and he also probably threw the match against Roddick in the Open last year; we all wanted him to win but a little effort would not have killed you, bro beans. Bernie, right now, is the badass the tennis community deserves and the one it desperately needs right now. A sport full of nice rich boys is boring to folks that don't respect the game. Tennis needs a McEnroe figure back in the fold to stir stuff up. Once he drops the parental supervision on the practice court, his inner Bon Jovi can fly.

Tomic is still a budding super star. He stands 6'5", he is 200 pounds, his strokes are real clean and he has a ton of swagger on court; when he's mentally in it. I still find it hard to believe a 20 year old from a country as rooted in tennis success as Australia would have a seamless rise to the top when he can't even drink legally in the nation that boasts the most tournaments of his best playing surface.

Bernie is the kind of up and comer that would make Billy Beane's scouting table go gaga over. He is a face guy, he possesses a strong back court game, and his serve is mighty. People have not forgotten that at 19 years old he made the Wimbledon quarterfinals as an unseeded competitor. He has all the tools to be a hard court and grass force, but he has to get over the hump. A strong showing in Brisbane will prove that his shortcomings with the law don't bother him. If he makes a run in Melbourne, he can take some serious mo' with him to Indian Wells and Miami.

Best of luck bro. See you back in the top 30 at year's end.

2. Juan Martin Del Potro- Del BROtro, the Tower of Tandil, Mr. Nice Guy, Champ; all great nicknames, all apply to the current Number 7 ranked player on tour.

Del Bro was sidelined for most of 2010 having had wrist surgery. It took most of 2011 for him to return to form and he really came back into his own during the late summer months in 2012. His most notable match, unfortunately, was retiring American Legend Andy Roddick in the round of 16 at the US Open. A great match, well played on a very windy day and the spotlight was on the man opposite the net; though totally deserved for an incredible career and total bro lifestyle.

Given his size and quick hands, I fully expect Del BROtro to stay put in the top 10. He is perpetually one of the most dangerous men on a hard court when in shape. He has made it to the semis at the French before and won the US Open in '09.

I'm a sucker for the 24 going on 45 look, so I'm pulling for this dude to get into the top 5 and stay put by Year's end.

3. Alexandr Dolgopolov- As you already know, I declared 2012 the Year of the Dolg. That didn't necessarily come true as I was hoping. I was under the impression a top 10 finish seemed within reach. A top 20 finish is still something of merit for a 24 year old with many years left in his career.

We are now in Australia for the next month of the season, this is BROgopolov's time. He always brings his best to the hard courts down under. He has ultra fast hands, he covers the court like 8/10 of a Roger Federer; that's a compliment, and looks eerily similar to his coach Jack Reader; its like they planned it.

Besides having the best backhanded slice ever of all time; you read that right, look for more forehand winners from the Dolg. He gets his opponents out of sort and pounces like a chess player setting the king up for slaughter. I expect quarter final runs in Melbourne and at the Open this year and with at least a handful of guys ahead of him probably tumbling in the rankings, he could be close to an elusive top 10 finish in 2013.

4. Milos Raonic- I don't know if I like Raonic because he's Canadian and doesn't play hockey; a rarity up nort' donchaknow? It may actually be that he's Montenegrin-born and I have seen Casino Royale enough times to have it memorized. Its actually probably him constantly making his coach, Galo Blanco, do push ups during practice and then taking pictures of it and posting them on his twitter. Whatever the case, I am a fan of this guy.

Raonic is probably the proverbial prom queen on this list. Of all players on the outside of the top 10 looking in, I would say he stands the best chance of making an upward move as soon as January.

I've seen him top 150 with a serve before, all braun, all bro. His forehand leaves plenty for a tennis bro to be impressed with. Raonic also has the love of a massive country. The only love because no matter what his accomplishments may be, people don't know who Daniel Nestor is. He does have the Biebs to compete with for total super stardom in Canada, but I foresee a future Wimbledon Champion. It would do the sport a lot of good for him and Bernard Tomic to become a mainstay rivalry. Like a classic good cop/bad cop kind of thing.

My only advice to you bro, cut your hair, the NHL ain't happenin' and we don't need any hockey mullets serving as a constant reminder that a 2nd rate sport is on strike.

5. Jerzy Janowicz- Let's talk about being to BROtal Package for a minute. Jerzy Janowicz strolls into a bar, all 6'8" of him, he starts talking broken english with his polish accent, orders up some sausage and sour kraut, tells us all the story about how he beat Andy Murray in a match; the ladies go CRAZY.

Janowicz, to me, where body types are concerned, is like a right-handed Goran Ivanisevic. I don't think he actually serve and volleys; a lost art form, but he does have the frame that makes me believe he could have some serious results if his confidence and strokes continue to improve each week. He beat Murray in France using a LOT of backhanded slice drop shots to the deuce court; classic Tennis Bro Maneuver.

This guy, to me, has the look of a future Wimbledon Champion in the coming years. He's 22, moves the court well, and hits screamers. A top 15 finish seems legit to me for the ol' Jerzy.

6. Martin Klizan- You probably only know this guy as the no-namer who made a run into the round of 16 at the US Open. And that's ok because that's about all I know him for too. Martin Klizan, for everyone's information, is from Bratislava and according to his ATP World Tour page, fluent in like 45604654307650 different languages which a seriously rad tennis bro thing to do. He won 4 titles last year and considers himself a clay courter. Meaning lots and lots of success is imminent since no one does that anymore. He's ranked number 30 right now, but he could sneak into the top 20 if he plays loosely.

7. Jack Sock- This burrito stuffing, forehand smashing, reporter ignoring, lady slaying super star in the making is going to be the toast of the United States by year's end. He is still a ways off from hoisting a US Open Trophy, but I am inclined to believe that he'll beat Ryan Harrison to the punch of making a run at a major. And he'll do it the good old fashion American way, eating fried chicken and playing electric guitar solos from the song Kashmir by led zep'. That's a joke, but Mr. Sock is becoming an increasing threat to the rest of the tour the longer he stays healthy. He could break into the top 50 if he stays healthy and plays 25 tournaments or so this year.

8. Fabio Fognini- just kidding, this is him. Looky here bros, I don't know if this guy is actually going to rise up or not, I just know he's a pretty rad individual. I watched him serve out a match with cramps or something so bad he couldn't jump into his serve and he still finished. He has the Italian Warrior spirit; that's a joke, but it really happened. He also was joking around being really kick ass when he played Roddick in the 3rd round of the US Open. He's on my radar of dudes I want to see succeed. Hoping for a top 30 finish for him, and to mess around in Rome if I ever get a transatlantic phone call to do so, bro.

9. Benoit Paire/Jeremy Chardy- Not even trying to do any research on 2 faceless French guys. These 2 both had huge rises in 2012 and are able bodied and capable of continuing upward in 2013. Mainly Chardy. Frog legs and tennis, thats what France does.

10. Donald Young- Categorically speaking, when your season record is 5-24 and you lose 17 matches in a row, you can't go anywhere but up. D. Young did drop 151 places in the rankings since March, he does still play under the toxic influence of his mom and dad. He does have confidence issues. He did prove to regress in his physical conditioning in 2012.

Those are the negatives, on the positive, D. Young has a very good looping forehand that he has the ability to spray the court with. His serve and backhand are good enough to set up his forehand when he is confident enough to play those shots. In 2011 he made a run into the round of 16 at the US Open. He did it by methodically setting up points like a boxer, he counter punched but never went full defensive, he took his time and set up winners. He can hit around you, over you, or through you.

He needs a change of regime. When he gets it, he is a top 40 type of player capable of making runs deep into tournaments.

That's all I got. Though I am not a journalist, I sometimes indulge in some journalistic tendencies. Tune in tomorrow for 10 bros on tour I do NOT expect to be ranked as high in 2013 as they were in 2012.

Follow me on twitter @thetennisbro

Laying 50 on red is a mistake, bros, just low ball your bets on the roulette table.

Gin Gin

Billy Stein ~ The Tennis Bro