Alexander Zverev is one of the most successful young players in tennis. Since turning pro in 2013, the 22-year-old has won 10 ATP singles titles. He reached the finals of the Shanghai Masters last week. The German lost to Daniil Medvedev in the final. Despite the loss, Zverev said he was happy to see that the new generation of players had started to achieve success in the game. The 22-year-old knocked out Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in Shanghai while Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Novak Djokovic in the last eight of the same tournament.
Federer still loves traveling with his wife Mirka and Children
Federer and Nadal continue to dominate the game. Both players have shown no signs of stopping any time soon. Federer has said he will continue to play the game as long as his family is comfortable with it. He has in the past said that his family was one of the reasons he had not retired despite being in his late thirties. He often travels with his wife Mirka and their four children during the tour. Federer enjoys caravanning with his family and will continue to play as long as they allow him to.
No hints of retirement for Nadal that is getting married with Xisca Perello
Nadal has also shown no signs of his intention to retire. The Spaniard won two Grand Slam titles this year. He is only one major title short of equaling Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams. The Spaniard will get married to his fiancé Xisca Perello this month. The wedding will take place on 19th October at the La Fortaleza estate in Mallorca.
Zverev has acknowledged that the two players have given fans some spectacular matches in the past. He said that fans were fond of the duo after they had dominated the past two decades of the game. The German, however, is positive that the game will be safe hands once they put down their tennis rackets. “The Roger Federer fans or Rafa Nadal fans will fall in love with new players.”
After playing in Shanghai, the 22-year-old will now prepare for the Paris Masters which begins on 28th October. He has also qualified for the ATP finals in London from 10th to 17th November. After the finals, Zverev will play in a series of exhibition matches in Latin America with Federer. The 22-year-old signed with Federer’s sports management group Team 8 earlier this year. He has received criticism for choosing to play the exhibition matches instead of the Davis Cup finals in Madrid.
Who will be the next superstar? Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev, Auger Aliassime, Shapovalov or someone else?
The next generation of players has started to emerge as a force in the game. Apart from Zverev and Medvedev, other players could ascend to the top in the future. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime has been silently putting together good matches on tour this year. The 19-year-old is currently ranked 17th and his game is expected to improve in the coming seasons. Similar to the Canadian, 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov is also a possible candidate to dominate the game in the future. In addition to the two, another young star could emerge from the Next Gen ATP tournament finals in the future.
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, Roger played his last match on the 11th of October when he surrendered to Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-77 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.
This year the Swiss has a 45-8 win-loss record. The Swiss clinched 3 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami and in Halle. Roger was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.
This year Rafael has a 47-6 win-loss record. The Spaniard has won 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played each other 42 times. The head to head is 26-16 for Nadal.
The last time that they fought against each other, Roger Federer won 7-63 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Wimbledon on 12th July 2019.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal |
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