Karlovic among this year's big improvers

Players Under the Microscope / Barry Millns / 18 October 2007 / Leave a Comment

The big Croat, Djokovic, Monaco and Ana Ivanovic amongst the big movers this year, says Sky Sports' Barry Millns

Novak Djokovic, currently trading as second favourite at 7.4 to win the Madrid Masters Series, is undoubtedly the pick of the bunch of the most improved players on tour this year. Having soared 67 places last season the 20 year-old Serb has since risen to No.3, the first serious threat to the Federer-Nadal duopoly at the top of the men's rankings.

Starting 2007 with a title win in Adelaide and a fourth round loss to Federer at the Australian Open, a final appearance in Indian Wells quickly followed by his first Masters Series trophy in Miami thrust him into the Top 10. Further success in Estoril, plus successive semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon established him in the Top 5 before back-to-back victories over the world's top three made him champion in Cincinnati.

Runner-up to Federer in his first grand slam final at the US Open, Djokovic claimed a fifth title of the season last week in Vienna. For one so young he combines great mental strength and maturity with a powerful all-court game that will become even better with experience - and right now no-one is hungrier!

At 23 Juan Monaco has taken rather longer than Djokovic to break into the top 20, which he did last month. But having ended last year ranked No.70 his impressive climb towards the 'big-time' this season has also been built on an aggressive game that has not only earned him clay court titles in Poertschach, Kitzbuhel and Buenos Aires but also started to do some damage on hard courts.

Wins already over Igor Andreev and No.11 seed Tommy Haas in Madrid have underlined his potential although he remains an outside bet currently trading at 150. Also going well in the same quarter of the draw is another of this year's 'high-risers', Ivo Karlovic (29 in Madrid).

At 6 foot 10 they don't come any taller on the ATP Tour than the giant Croat and although he has been a pro for seven years, 2007 has finally shown some marked improvements in his all-round game to go with the huge serve that has always been such a threat (1,172 aces and counting!).

The only man apart from Federer to triumph on three different surfaces this season with titles at Houston, Nottingham and Vienna, Karlovic has already pushed up from No.99 at the end of last year to a career high No.24 and if he can do better in the majors next season then who knows how much further he might go.

Still only 19, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, with one of the best forehands in the women's game, has climbed 10 places to a career-high No.4 this season, won three titles also on three different surfaces in Berlin, Los Angeles and Luxembourg and, unlike her high-flying compatriot Jelena Jankovic, reached a first grand slam final at the French Open. She also reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon and is currently trading as third favourite at 6.2 to win this week's Zurich Open.

World No.7 Anna Chakvetadze is not competing this week. But the 20 year-old Russian, whose game is built more around consistency and court-craft rather than outright power, has won more than 50 matches this season including titles at Hobart, S'Hertogenbosch, Cincinnati and Stanford, as well as reaching back to back grand slam quarterfinals at the Australian and French Opens, plus her first major semi-final in New York.

No player, though, now featuring at the highest level has made more of a jump this year than Agnes Szavay of Hungary. No.207 in the world at the end of last season the 18 year-old has risen a staggering 187 places to break into the Top 20.

As a qualifier she made it to the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon before a first tour title in Palermo pushed her inside the Top 50 and although she had to retire hurt in the final of New Haven having taken the first set off Svetlana Kuznetsova, she knocked out two more seeds at her first US Open before losing to the Russian again in the quarterfinals.

Boosted by that effort Szavay went onto to lift her second title in Beijing, beating Jankovic from a set down in the final and although injury stopped her again ins Seoul, she is clearly one to watch in the future.