NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK...

JELENA OSTAPENKO

IT’S hard to describe a Grand Slam Champion as a newcomer, but that’s exactly what Jelena Ostapenko is.

Everyone knew the French Open was up for grabs last month, but no-one expected the 20-year-old from Latvia to walk away with the title.

She had never been beyond the third round of a Grand Slam.

But her fearless brand of hitting paid off on court, while her bubbly personality endeared her to the crowds.

It will be fascinating to see how she copes at Wimbledon.

But she should be confident, having won the girl’s title at SW19 only three years ago.

DOMINIC THIEM

WITH the top five in men’s tennis all in their 30s and showing no signs of slowing down, it’s becoming harder for younger players to break through.

But Dominic Thiem is leading the charge. Only Rafa Nadal has won more matches than the Austrian on the ATP Tour this season.

At 23, Thiem is established in the top 10 and has twice reached the French Open semi-finals.

However, that was on his preferred surface of clay. Grass is a different proposition and he’ll be looking to improve his record at Wimbledon, where he has never gone beyond the second round.

COCO VANDEWEGHE

COCO VANDEWEGHE was made for a life in sport. Her mother was an Olympic swimmer and her uncle was an NBA basketball star.

Standing 6ft 1in and with a booming serve, the American has the perfect game for grass. And she’s someone the top players will hope to avoid.

Vandeweghe isn’t afraid of the big occasion either, having reached the second week in each of her last two visits to SW19.

Now she’s made the bold move of appointing Pat Cash as her new coach.

Perhaps taking tips from a former Wimbledon winner could make the difference this year.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV

JUST 20, Zverev is the youngest man in the world’s top 20. Although it’s worth comparing that by the same age, fellow German Boris Becker had already won Wimbledon twice!

Zverev had an excellent 2017, winning three titles already, including the Masters Series in Rome, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the final, and he was runner-up to Roger Federer at a grass court event in Halle last week.

Tennis is in Zverev’s blood, as parents, Alexander Snr and Irina were pro players who moved from Russia to Germany, while older brother Mischa beat Andy Murray in this year’s Australian Open.

CAROLINE GARCIA

CAROLINE GARCIA has long been considered the great hope of French tennis.

Tipped for the top since she first appeared on the circuit aged 18 – by Andy Murray among others – she’s become serious about singles this year.

She broke up a Grand Slamwinning doubles partnership with friend Kristina Mladenovic and withdrew from the French Fed Cup team to concentrate on her singles career.

Her decision upset the other French players on the WTA Tour, but a run to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros suggested she is on the right track, climbing to a career-best 21st in the rankings.

DENIS SHAPOVALOV

TWELVE months ago, Shapovalov was on his way to becoming the Junior Champion, but he’s had a rollercoaster year.

Unfortunately for the young Canadian, the headline moment was in the Davis Cup in a match against GB when he was defaulted for smashing a ball into the umpire’s face.

But his promise was underlined by stand-out wins against Nick Kyrgios under the lights in Toronto and over British No. 2 Kyle Edmond at Queen’s.

The 18-year-old still has a lot to learn and much to improve, but the All-England Club believed him to be worthy of a wild card.