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ATP World Tour: Rising tennis stars whom you need to know

By Maxwell Ogden

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany serves during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany serves during the Gentlemen's Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand during the Gentlemen’s Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Alexander Zverev of Germany plays a backhand during the Gentlemen’s Singles fourth round match against Milos Raonic of Canada on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Alexander Zverev, Germany

Age: 20 (4/20/1997)
ATP World Tour Ranking: No. 8
Race to Milan Ranking: No. 1
2017 W-L Record: 36-13 (5-3 in Grand Slams)

Alexander Zverev has the tools to become the No. 1 player on the ATP World Tour. At 20 years of age, he’s already No. 8 in the world and No. 1 on the Race To Milan rankings—a dominant and commanding No. 1, might one add.

The youngest player in the ATP World Tour Top 20, Zverev is as close as anyone on this list to realizing his globally elite potential.

Zverev had a personal breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2017, as he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his budding career. He fell to Milos Raonic in Round 4, but it took five sets for the Canadian star to get by the rising German phenom.

Roughly two months before Wimbledon, Zverev defeated the likes of Novak Djokovic, Raonic, John Isner, Fabio Fognini, and Vicktor Troicki en route to his first career Masters 1000 title.

For those unfamiliar with what makes him special, Zverev stands at 6’6″ with heavy baseline strokes and an improving service game. He’s managed to overwhelm opponents with his surprisingly advanced skill level for a player his age, including his improving touch and precision.

For what it’s worth, Zverev has defeated four Top 10 players during the 2017 calendar year: Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic, and Stan Wawrinka.

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Every player on this list has alluring potential, but which of them will make good on their ability to one day dominate the ATP World Tour?

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