Our four players to watch in 2009 have already shown their ability to a certain degree, but this is a quartet destined for even greater things over the next 12 months.

Latvia is not exactly renowned for its tennis stars, or sporting prowess in general for that matter, but Ernests Gulbis is already something of a national hero.

And that status will surely rise soon, quite possibly over the coming year.

Gulbis' talent should not be questioned. Excellent from the back of the court aged 20, it appears he just needs to find greater consistency and an ability to nudge tight matches his way.

This is often easier said than done, but it would surely be a surprise for Gulbis not to improve on his current ranking of 53.

You may well have seen plenty of Gulbis already, even if you may not realise it.

He enjoyed an excellent run to the last eight of the French Open where he then pushed Novak Djokovic very hard despite the straight-sets scoreline.

A week later he was taking Andy Murray the distance at Queen's Club - a feat repeated against Rafael Nadal in Madrid later in the year.

To get so close to beating players of this calibre shows there is plenty to work with in the Latvian and we fully expect him to move deep into the world's top 40 over the coming season.

Thomaz Bellucci is another player who's looked to have something about him whenever I've seen him and again an improvement on his current ranking of 85 looks assured in 2009.

The Brazilian left-hander isn't afraid to take better players on shot for shot and while that tactic may not be the best right now, it will stand him in good stead as improvements are made to his game.

World number one Nadal certainly seemed somewhat surprised at Roland Garros, at least for the first two sets, where Bellucci gave the Spaniard arguably his toughest match of the tournament in the very first round.

He may have won only four of his 19 matches on the ATP Tour in 2008, but I'd be staggered if that record didn't improve in the coming year.

Admittedly all his best results have come on clay so far - no surprise there given he's a South American - and although he's still a long way from being mentioned in the same breath as compatriot Gustavo Kuerten, he could give the claycourt fans something to cheer in the near future.

It will certainly also be worth keeping an eye on Japan's Kei Nishikori next year after his stunning arrival on the scene in 2008.

With a solid all-round game, Nishikori started the season with a stunning victory at the Delray Beach International and went on to reach the last 16 of the US Open.

British fans may also have seen him take a set off Nadal at Queen's Club.

The 18-year-old finished the season ranked 63rd and looks to have more to give.

His main problem may be living up to what has gone before, especially in a country that puts much pressure on the shoulders of its stars.

Finally Croatia's Marin Cilic may already be well inside the world's top 30, but we're convinced he's going much higher. Certainly he should be a top-20 player this time next year.

Typically for a Croatian, Cilic possesses a big serve which is a potent weapon as it comes down from the top of his 6ft 6in frame.

That helped him secure some fine results on the grass - he made the last 16 at Wimbledon - but he was hardly a one-surface wonder having also made the fourth round in Australia and then the third round at the US Open where Djokovic found himself in a real fight before prevailing in four sets.

A first tour title at New Haven was also secured and if the Grand Slam performances can start to be reproduced at some of the run of the mill events - crucial to the ranking - then more trophies will follow for Cilic.

Watch this space.

Disagree with Andy? Let us know your players to watch in 2009 by emailing tennisfeedback@sportinglife.com