As we watch games on major tournaments, a question often arise among tennis specialists about who on the young generation will reach number 1 on ATP. Or either who will get there first. We have heard so many absurd ideas that we decided to comment on it. One should have a crystal ball to make such a prediction. When we see players like Thiem, Zverev, Kyrgios, Kokkinakis, Edmund, among others, we find on all of them great fundamentals and game consistency, even though one may have a temper problem.
We do not want to make any prediction at all, as we said before, we do not have a crystal ball. But one player that has all the qualities necessary and the structure, including family support, to be consistently TOP 10, is the young German player Alexander Zverev, nicknamed Sascha. He was born on a professional tennis playing family, as his father and coach, Zverev Sr., was ATP ranked number 175 at his career high. His older brother, Mischa Zverev, has been on the pro circuit since 2005 and has recently reached his best ranking as number 29. His Russian father, brought from his birth land the hard working culture. Russia has had lots of excellent players, males and females, along recent years. They are very focused and physically very capable and prepared. Not to mention his mother, Irena Zvereva, who is also a tennis coach. He has always been surrounded by tennis.
Sascha was born in 1997, he is almost 2 meters high (6'6''), very agile for his height, and amazingly focused and resilient in court. He has had his older brother to keep his game under pressure all through his formation as Mischa plays serve & volley, and is a fantastic player. Even though we don't see many of that game anymore, to have a constant partner forcing permanently the game, gets one used to pressure and solving problems on a daily basis. That is probably why he is so calm in court.
His fundamentals are excellent and a guy this tall usually, as it is in his case, have a great service. So, his ground strokes are very solid, he knows the game, how to play it tactically and strategically, is mentally strong, has a great service and a tennis family to support him. He has got everything! As we said, one, among the young talented players on the circuit, to keep one eye on!
TEXT BY GABRIEL PIMENTEL AND PAULO CÉSAR PIMENTEL