Top 10 Shuffle

Six swingers have their eyes on a sweet spot in the rankings.

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The usual suspects—Nadal, Federer, Jankovic—are favored entering the spring U.S. hard court season. But Top 10 heavyweights beware. Novak Djokovic vaulted from No. 13 to No. 7 with 2007 finals appearances at Indian Wells and Miami, and with Venus and Serena skipping the desert and Maria Sharapova's shoulder still a question, the women's field is set for similar jumps. Look for these six to make a rankings dash.

TOMMY ROBREDO | Spain | Rank 15 | Age 26
Robredo shot to No. 5 in 2006 and reached the quarters at both the French and Aussie opens in 2007, but last season he fell to No. 22, citing fatigue.
WHY THE RACKET? This season he's off to an 18—4 start, including titles on the clay at Costa do Sauípe and Buenos Aires. "When you don't start a year well, you put a lot of kilos on your back," Robredo says. "When you start well, everything is easier."
TECHNIQUE Robredo is a speedy counterpuncher with a mean forehand.

RADEK STEPANEK | Czech Republic | Rank 18 | Age 30
Until now, Stepanek has gained more fame for dating tennis darlings Martina Hingis and Nicole Vaidisova than for his game, winning just two titles in his first 152 tournaments.
WHY THE RACKET? The oldest player in the Top 20, Stepanek has won at Brisbane and San Jose this season and is off to a 16—3 start.
TECHNIQUE Stepanek has a tricky serve-and-volley game, slugs from the baseline and uncorks on-court antics (check out his celebratory "worm" dance) that drive opponents batty.

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Marin Cilic could cut his 19th ranking in half this season.

MARIN CILIC | Croatia | Rank 19 | Age 20
It's a running joke that players who can't serve aces are kicked out of tennis schools in Croatia. Cilic must have aced the acing course: He is tied for eighth in the ATP this season with 138.
WHY THE RACKET? Cilic has won titles on the hard courts of Chennai and Zagreb this season. He also is fourth in service games won (88%) and eighth in first-serve points won (78%).
TECHNIQUE His serve and stroke have earned him comparisons to countryman Goran Ivanisevic—without the temper.

ALIZE CORNET | France | Rank 14 | Age 19
Though one of the smaller top players (5'8'', 132 pounds), Cornet had a big 2008. She climbed from No. 57 to No. 16 thanks to her first Tour victory (Budapest), third-round appearances at the French and U.S. opens and wins over Top 10ers Anna Chakvetadze and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
WHY THE RACKET? This winter, Cornet put herself through a rigorous training regimen to improve her net game. "The future of women's tennis is at the net," she says. "If I want to get into the Top 10, I have to be more aggressive."
TECHNIQUE Cornet makes up for a lack of power with shot variety and quickness.

VICTORIA AZARENKA | Belarus | Rank 11 | Age 19
At the Australian Open, Azarenka (pictured above) took the first set, 6-3, from No. 2 seed Serena Williams before illness forced her to retire midway through the fourth-round match. "She was punch-drunk," says ESPN analyst Pam Shriver. "But she can really crack the ball."
WHY THE RACKET? The forfeit against Serena is Azarenka's only loss in 2009. She earned her first Tour title at Brisbane in early January and won her second weeks later in Memphis, moving up four spots in the rankings since the start of the year.
TECHNIQUE She's a heady baseliner who strikes the ball well from both sides.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI | Denmark | Rank 12 | Age 18
With a mom who played for the Polish national volleyball team and a pro soccer player for a dad, Wozniacki certainly has genetic cred. She's developing the game to go with it, and her countrymen are taking notice. At Stockholm last year, she became the first Danish woman to win a Tour singles title. Danish fans responded by showing up at a hockey arena in Copenhagen to watch her Olympic matches on the big screen, including a third-round loss to Elena Dementieva.
WHY THE RACKET? She's 12—5 this season and in Sydney lost to Serena in a third-set tie-break in the quarters.
TECHNIQUE The 5'10'' baseline slugger's best shot is a high, two-handed backhand that has deceptive trajectory.

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