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ATP World Tour: Alexander Zverev is on the cusp of greatness

By Maxwell Ogden

MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 13: Confetti is blown as Alexander Zverev of Germany makes his way onto the stage with the trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4 in the final during day ten of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank at Uniprix Stadium on August 13, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - AUGUST 13: Confetti is blown as Alexander Zverev of Germany makes his way onto the stage with the trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4 in the final during day ten of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank at Uniprix Stadium on August 13, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Coming off of the biggest win of his already sensational career, Alexander Zverev is on the cusp of greatness on the ATP World Tour.

At 20 years of age, it’s already fair to state that Alexander Zverev is one of the Top 10 players in the world. He’s earned a Top 10 ranking on the ATP World Tour, and has the results to support that status.

As Zverev continues to prove his critics wrong and justify the hype surrounding him, one thought continues to surface: Greatness is arriving.

Zverev has been on the rise throughout the 2016 and 2017 ATP seasons. His defining moment arrived in Montreal, Canada, when he triumphed through a field of stars to secure the biggest win of his budding career.

In the final of the 2017 Rogers Cup, Zverev won the biggest title of his career by handing Roger Federer just his third loss in 2017.

Some may view this is an isolated incident, but it’s actually a continuation of one of the most awe-inspiring seasons by a young player in quite some time.

Zverev traveled a challenging path to the Rogers Cup crown. He defeated Richard Gasquet in the Round of 32, Nick Kyrgios in the Round of 16, Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinal, Denis Shapovalov in the semifinal, and Federer in the final.

Federer, of course, has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017, as well as three other titles. Even after losing to Zverev, he has a record of 35-3 through 38 matches played.

Following his win over Federer, Zverev is officially knocking on the door of greatness with his 2017 campaign.

Zverev has won back-to-back titles: the Citi Open and the Rogers Cup. He’s won five titles overall in 2017, adding a Masters crown in Rome, the BMW Open in Germany, and the Open Sud de France hardware.

Zverev also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, and reached the quarterfinal at both the Madrid Open and the Miami Open.

Furthermore, the 20-year-old phenom has secured wins over some of the biggest names in tennis. In 2017 alone, he’s defeated Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Federer, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Stan Wawrinka.

All that’s left for Zverev to conquer is the Grand Slam tournaments, and he’s gained a significant measure of momentum in his pursuit of doing so.

The 2017 US Open will begin on Monday, August 28. Zverev, who turned 20 in April, will have a chance to take the next step towards superstardom by ending his inconsistency at the four major tournaments.

Zverev reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, but he’s never made it past the third round at any of the other Grand Slams.

With back-to-back ATP titles, including a Masters event, Zverev has positioned himself to break through. He has wins over just about every big name other than Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, and achieved the ultimate boost in confidence by defeating Federer in Montreal.

The question is: Can Zverev make good on his superstar potential by stepping up at the final Grand Slam of 2017?

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At 20 years of age, it’s already fair to ponder if Alexander Zverev will soon realize his potential as the best player on the ATP World Tour.

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