Tomas Berdych. Juan Martin Del Potro. Milos Raonic. Jerzy Janowicz. John Isner. Kevin Anderson.

These are the six players ranked within the top 30 of the ATP World Tour who stand at a towering 6’5” (195cm) and above.

These imposing giants of tennis reap unique benefits derived directly from their height, with an enhanced serve being one of them. Impacting the ball sometimes feet above others allows players like Isner and Raonic to more easily spot their serves. And as the laws of physics further tell us, the angle of deflection of a taller player’s serve will undoubtedly cause the balls to bounce higher once they land on their opponent’s side for a return. Isner’s dominating kick serve provides one such illustration.

From the list at the beginning, every player named was in the top 10 in aces in 2012, except Janowicz, and everyone except Raonic and Berdych are currently in the top 20 in percentage of tiebreakers won in 2013.

As a result of their game’s tendency for more aces and service winners, the big men on tour are able to race through their service games. This, in turn, allows them to apply the pressure right back on their opponents and sap matches of rhythm and fluidity.

Their power and pace is evident in not only serves but groundstrokes alike. From neutral and offensive positions, all six players listed have an unbelievable capacity to take over points and end them with a single swing. Give them a short ball and they will happily remind you not to give them another one.

These big men on campus present undesirable matchups and wreak havoc against any opponent they face. But in the long run, it will ultimately be an uphill battle for these men to maintain a stronghold near the top of the game.

In fact, only three players with a  height of 6’5” or taller and in the top 30 have even made a Slam semifinal or better: Del Potro, Berdych and Janowicz.

The only player of this group to have won a Masters Series 1000 title is Berdych, which he did so in 2005 in Paris.

So what exactly is hindering these giants of the game from achieving further success?

For one, the big men of the tour are often severely outclassed by most opponents in the movement and footwork department. Other than Janowicz and Del Potro, these big men thrive upon time and being able to plant their feet and take clean, stationary strikes at the ball. Once put on the move, they are often far less effective.

From a tactical standpoint, their games aren’t versatile enough. They simply don’t provide themselves with enough ways to win points. Playing defense, moving forward, and varying pace and spin are often out of the question for these guys. It isn’t even close to reasonable to expect them to win Masters Series events let alone majors if the only way they can win points is by blasting serves and pummeling groundstrokes from neutral and offensive positions.

If you look at Raonic and Isner, they are unquestionably two of the most ineffective returners in all of tennis. If you can’t break serve, you are forced to play an increased amount of tiebreakers, which of course means that not only your body, but your mind is put through the ordeal.

For these guys to start making an even bigger impact, they need to expand and begin to win more points from defensive positions and more points that don’t involve nailing aces and groundstrokes for winners.

When considering this, it’s important to remember that tennis is unlike most other sports. In basketball, if team A misses a shot, team B doesn’t receive any points. In football, if team A botches a field goal, team B doesn’t receive a point. But in tennis, you are always rewarded for your opponent’s mistakes.

Though I am clumping these six men into a single group, I do think the youngest member of the pack, Jerzy Janowicz, has the weapons and potential to break out of this identity.

In the last several months, the success of the big men has been quite abundant. Del Potro and Janowicz both reached the Wimbledon semifinals and gave themselves tremendous opportunities to reach the final. Del Potro went on to Washington D.C, defeating Isner in the final, who had won the title in Atlanta the week before over fellow big man, Anderson. In Montreal, Raonic reached the final before losing to Rafael Nadal and in Cincinatti, Isner beat Novak Djokovic before losing in the final to Nadal.

Last week in Bangkok, Raonic took out Berdych in the final. But as has been the status quo for the big men, Masters Series 1000 titles and Grand Slams remain ubiquitously unchartered water.

With the big four standing in the way of major successes, the giants of the ATP World Tour certainly have a bigger challenge in front of them, a challenge which begins from within.

(Photo of John Isner by Christopher Levy)