With 2026 right around the corner, it’s time to look at the players who competed at the 2025 Next Gen Finals and project where their careers might be headed. These are tennis’s brightest young talents, so tracking their trajectories should be fascinating, even if predicting the future is a fool’s errand.
Still, we’re going to take our best shot at outlining how their seasons might unfold if things go according to plan. Let’s dive in.
Learner Tien
As we mentioned in another piece of ours, we’re expecting big things from Tien in 2026, possibly even a run at the Top 10. He proved he belongs at the highest level in 2025, and winning the Next Gen Finals only reinforced that belief.
What makes Tien special isn’t raw power, it’s his tactical brilliance. He’s an exceptionally smart player who compensates for any physical limitations with elite court craft and strategic thinking. He was clearly the best player in Jeddah, and that dominance should translate into the biggest leap of anyone from that field.
Currently ranked No. 28, he’s already positioned for success. At minimum, expect him to finish the year inside the Top 20. More realistically? Top 15. And if everything clicks? We might be talking about a Top 10 finish.
Alexander Blockx
Blockx was comfortably the second-best player in Jeddah, and despite looking shaky in the final against Tien, he proved that breaking into the Top 100 is a formality. Ranked No. 115, he’s right on the doorstep, but we actually think he’ll blow past that milestone rather quickly.
Sure, he’s still relatively inexperienced at the ATP level, but his style of play is tailor-made for professional tennis. We’re predicting a push into the Top 50, and honestly, we wouldn’t be shocked if he goes even further. He’s genuinely that talented.
What he showed in Jeddah wasn’t a fluke. He’ll replicate it throughout the year, especially because he’s not a one-surface player. His versatility across all surfaces gives him multiple opportunities to rack up wins and climb the rankings fast.
Dino Prizmic
Prizmic’s Next Gen Finals were disappointing as he failed to reach the semifinals despite many expecting him to contend for the title. That said, his talent is undeniable, and his career trajectory remains bright.
Currently sitting at No. 128, he’ll need to grind a bit to crack the Top 100, but we’re confident he’ll get there soon. What happens beyond that is less certain, though his clay-court prowess should accelerate his rise.
With the European clay swing offering plenty of opportunities, expect Prizmic to push into the Top 50. Whether he can go deeper than that is questionable. His game can be streaky, and the consistency isn’t quite there yet. But the foundation is solid, and time is on his side.
Martin Landaluce
Landaluce underperformed in Jeddah relative to expectations. He showed flashes of promise, but nothing spectacular from a player who’s been hyped as a tennis prodigy and made significant strides last year.
In 2026, the goal is simple: crack the Top 100. Ranked No. 135, that should be achievable. He’s comfortable on all surfaces, which is a massive advantage, but hard courts are where he’ll do the most damage.
Given that roughly half the season is played on hard courts, expect the Spaniard to push toward the Top 50. Whether he can go beyond that is uncertain as his game is still raw in spots, and there are moments where the lack of polish shows. But the trajectory is trending upward.
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
Another player hovering near a Top 100 breakthrough, Budkov Kjaer sits at No. 133 and should punch through that barrier fairly quickly. His game is built to devastate opponents.
The Norwegian plays with tremendous power and hyper-aggressive intent, which suits the modern game perfectly. He’s not the most consistent player so expect plenty of losses along the way, but when he’s on, he’s dangerous. A climb into the Top 70 should be straightforward.
Whether he can reach the Top 50 is the real question. Much will depend on his clay-court results, where he could do serious damage if he finds his rhythm. He’s known primarily for his hard-court prowess, but he showed glimpses of versatility in Jeddah. If he can carry that across surfaces, watch out.
Nishesh Basavareddy
Basavareddy is a tricky one to predict. After 2024, he looked like a lock for the Top 50 by the end of 2025. Instead, he finished the year ranked No. 166, largely because he failed to defend a massive haul of Challenger points from late 2024.
Physical struggles contributed to the disappointing year, but he still showed he can compete at the ATP level. Getting back into the Top 100 shouldn’t be a problem, but what happens beyond that is murky.
Clay remains a major question mark. He’s looked shaky on the surface in the past, and combined with the injury concerns that plagued his 2025 season, there’s legitimate uncertainty about how high his ceiling is in the near term.
Rafael Jodar
Jodar was the field’s most improved player in 2025, dominating the Challenger Tour and climbing to No. 167. That kind of progression breeds optimism that he’ll break into the Top 100 without much trouble.
That said, we’re not predicting a leap beyond that just yet. He has a significant amount of points to defend, which could slow his ascent. And while he showed flashes of potential in Jeddah, he also looked like one of the least polished players in the field which will be a disadvantage when facing more seasoned competition.
Still, the groundwork is there. If he continues improving and tightens up the rough edges, 2026 could be a solid building year for him.
Justin Engel
The German climbed to No. 182 by the end of 2025 which was a significant improvement from where he started the year. But Jeddah exposed that he’s a step behind the rest of this group, at least for now.
At just 17 years old, Engel is still developing as a player. He needs time and matches, lots of them in fact. That said, we believe he’ll crack the Top 100 by year’s end. He’s proven he can win against higher-ranked opponents in the past.
It won’t be easy. Expect plenty of losses, many of them frustrating. But that’s all part of the learning curve for a teenager who simply needs experience at this stage. The talent is there, he just needs to learn how to consistently turn that talent into wins.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images