In the last few days, I have written quite a bit about the "Big Four," and especially the "Big Three,": with a particular focus on Novak Djokovic, as he just won a record seventh Australian Open title in very convincing fashion.
Inevitably, there are questions regarding when the longstanding domination of the "Big Three" can possibly last. After all, Federer is 37 years old, and may be showing signs of aging. My father watched him in a match at Melbourne, and said that he looked like a shadow of his old self. Murray said that he is wrapping up his career after this year's Wimbledon. Clearly, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic are still playing at an optimal level, but how long can they keep it up? Nadal is 32, and Djokovic is 31. While that is still relatively young, it is getting up there for a professional athlete.
The thing is, there are no obvious heir apparent seemingly ready to take over. I remember the same issue was brought up as the careers of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were at their tail end in the late 1990's and early 2000's, right up through until that time when each man won their last Grand Slam championships in late 2002 and early 2003.
There is one man, however, who may be leading the pack. That would be Alexander Zverev, although he clearly needs to catch up in order to be on that level, as he failed to even reach the semifinal, or even the quarterfinal, at the Australian Open. In fact, he has only gone as far as the quarterfinal in one Grand Slam, and that was last year, at the French Open.
Still, he is consistently ranked in the top ten since he enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, and he is the youngest player on that list. He was in the top five from beginning to end in 2018.
One thing that is interesting is that there is something familiar with him. That would be the coach, who was a tennis legend in his own right" Ivan Lendl. For many years, Lendl enjoyed the unique distinction of having qualified for the most Grand Slam finals of any man, with 19, one more than Sampras, who made it to 18. But with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic having taken over, the impressive 19 Grand Slam finals mark is already a distant fourth.
However, he has enjoyed success as coach, which he was with Andy Murray. And now, he is coaching this young, rising star Zverev. It does not look like he is quite ready to take over, although some people were grumbling in the early 2000's that young guns, including Roger Federer, were not yet emerging. But once he did, he clearly took over. Boy, did he ever!
So, let's see what happens. Should be interesting, at the very least!
The thing is, there are no obvious heir apparent seemingly ready to take over. I remember the same issue was brought up as the careers of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras were at their tail end in the late 1990's and early 2000's, right up through until that time when each man won their last Grand Slam championships in late 2002 and early 2003.
There is one man, however, who may be leading the pack. That would be Alexander Zverev, although he clearly needs to catch up in order to be on that level, as he failed to even reach the semifinal, or even the quarterfinal, at the Australian Open. In fact, he has only gone as far as the quarterfinal in one Grand Slam, and that was last year, at the French Open.
Still, he is consistently ranked in the top ten since he enjoyed a breakout year in 2017, and he is the youngest player on that list. He was in the top five from beginning to end in 2018.
One thing that is interesting is that there is something familiar with him. That would be the coach, who was a tennis legend in his own right" Ivan Lendl. For many years, Lendl enjoyed the unique distinction of having qualified for the most Grand Slam finals of any man, with 19, one more than Sampras, who made it to 18. But with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic having taken over, the impressive 19 Grand Slam finals mark is already a distant fourth.
However, he has enjoyed success as coach, which he was with Andy Murray. And now, he is coaching this young, rising star Zverev. It does not look like he is quite ready to take over, although some people were grumbling in the early 2000's that young guns, including Roger Federer, were not yet emerging. But once he did, he clearly took over. Boy, did he ever!
So, let's see what happens. Should be interesting, at the very least!
The Ivan Lendl effect on Alexander Zverev is no laughing matter Nov 18, 2018 Simon Cambers
http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/25313054/atp-world-tour-finals-ivan-lendl-effect-alexander-zverev-no-laughing-matter
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