It's Delray 2020

Tired of the crowds at the match courts at the Open or Indian Wells match - or pushing and shoving to try get close to the practice courts? It's pretty much impossible. What about the ever increasing ticket prices?

Now those are great events. I've been to both of them in double figures. But my current favorite is Delray Beach. And it is pretty much at the beach.

This is like my fourth trip there. Why is that? It's a throw back in pace and feeling to the times before multiple stadiums and rows of practice courts.

Indian Wells attracts something like 600,000 attendees. Delray, an ATP 250 event, is about 1/10th that size.

Not that I am not sure they would like to have more! But the relative lack of congestion makes a huge difference in the overall feel.

The top section in the stadium is tarped. For most matches, the rest of the stadium is partially to substantially full - but usually not packed. This means you can get a seat, you can move around, and if you go out to get a diet coke - ok most people are drinking beer - it's not an hour to get back.

Ugo Humbert: 21 years and 43 in the world.

You can also move around the grounds and I have stood in the front row of the practice courts almost every time I go over there.

And yes there is no Roger, no Rafa, no Djokovic. But in a way that's a strength of the tournament. Delpotro is out with another injury. But they do have Milos Raonic. And Nick Krygios. And Kei Nishikori.

The real attraction of the tournament though is the opportunity to focus on the some of the younger, lesser known players that you might overlook in your anxiety to see Federer one more time.

For example there are three players in their early 20s I have never seen, but all in the top 50 or top 100. French player Ugo Humbert is 21 and is currently ranked 43 and, always interesting, left handed.

Miomir Kecmanovic, a Serbian, is only 20 and already ranked 54. Then there is the Korean Soonwoo Kwon who is 22 and is ranked 87.

Now are these guys who have reached their likely top level? Or could one of them be destined for the top 20 or even top 10? Unlikely, but the only one way to get more intel is to watch some of their matches.

It's happened before. I remember being startled at how good two unknown players looked one year at Indian Wells when I saw them for the first time: Ernests Gulbis and Anna Ivanovic.

Another interesting player is Radu Albot. He won Delray last year, beating Nick Krygios, then Mackenzie McDonald in the semis and Dan Evans in the final.

Albot is older, 30, and ranked 49. He's also won 7 Challenger titles and an amazing 14 futures titles.

But one of the unusual things about him is that he is from Maldova. Right you never heard of it either. It's sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, a former Soviet client state with a population of 3.5 million.

Supposed to be gorgeous and an untraveled destination with a huge amount of history. And he's about the only tennis player, something he and his dad are trying to change.

There are also three American players here of interest to me. All are 22 and in the top 50.

Francis Tiafoe won the tournament 2 years ago, his first and only ATP title. He's ranked 50. I've watched him play since his days winning the Easter Bowl. Interestingly he played doubles in Australia with Ugo Humbert in Australia.

Big serve and makes his racket look short.

Reilly Opelka is the highest ranked of the 3 at 30 in the world. Everyone knows he is almost 7 feet tall with a huge serve. His racket looks like a junior racket in his hand.

Taylor Fritz is also tall at 6'4", also with a big serve. He is ranked 34, and like Tiafoe I have watched him play since the juniors.

The question for these guys is the same. Is top 30-50 where they max out, or can they go higher? All seem to have strengths but also limitations.

But 22 is still young on the tour in the current day - or at least not at all old. If we look below the big three, Daniil Medvedev is 4 in the world now and age 23. Less than 2 years ago he was ranked in the 50's and 60's.

Dominic Thiem is 26, 5th in the rankings and has been to two French finals. Stefanos Tisitsipas is 6th and only 21. Alexander Zverev is 7th and 22. And Denis Shapovalov is only 20 and ranked 13.

Similar ages but higher rankings than some of the guys I am going to watch. So these Delray players are all question marks for the future. Maybe something more will be revealed this year.

That's the shark tank at the back in the Atlantic Grill.

So one of the fun things about Delray for me is staying with my good friend and Tennisplayer contributor Kyle Lacroix. He's got a new house this year. Here's hoping my room set up is as nice as in the old one.

But besides a free room, staying with Kyle means fine dining. Every year we each pick a place to take each other.

My pick this year is the Atlantic Grill which is in Delray. Always nice to get some East Coast seafood - plus I want to see the 2500 gallon shark tank. Kyle's pick is the Capital Grille in Ft Lauderdale. I am guessing because of the gigantic, signature bone in ribeye.

And then there is the Atlantic Ocean. I love the fact you can drive right up to the beach, valet park the car and be diving under the waves in 5 minutes. Yes a lot of attractions in Delray.

If you come be sure and email me through the site!

It's Delray 2020

John Yandell