While recent years seemingly belonged to Federer and Nadal and their classic rivalry with one another, there are a few more players in the mix who should pose a threat to them both.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had a profound impact on the sport and remain the top two in the game, but their leads aren’t as comfortable as they once used to be. As a result, it’s time to list a few more players who may finish at the top. Let’s look at the contenders.

No article like this would be proper without calling Federer the most likely person to rank atop the world. After all, he’s held a pretty firm grasp on the position for over eight years now. On the other hand, he’s getting older and others are catching up.

The player who poses the biggest threat to Federer is Rafael Nadal, who seems to have his number whenever they meet lately. Having beaten him during their last two grand slam finals matchups, the key to Nadal’s success this year will be his knees, which gave him problems last year.

On the rise is the young 20 year old Juan Martin Del Potro, whose incredible win at the US Open shocked many tennis fans. To knowledgeable ones, the Argentine’s emergence wasn’t such a surprise. The kid is incredibly talented and has what it takes to capture the world’s top ranking this year.

While Federer, Nadal, and Del Potro are the most likely contenders, there are two more who shouldn’t be overlooked.

One is Novak Djokovic, who seems to be playing some great tennis after a brief lull last year. He’s won a grand slam before and there’s no reason to believe that he can’t win some more. Since he’s ranked third in the world right now, a close eye should be kept on him.

One final player worth mentioning is Andy Murray. Since he reached the world’s number two rank last year, his consistent showing at major events could put him in a position to surprise many fans should he capture a slam or two.

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