Roger Federer singled out some of the players he believes will be a threat come next year. He is convinced that Stefanos Tsitsipas and Sascha Zverev are players to watch out next season. And depending on their performances this year, the Swiss’ sentiments do have some truth.
Stefanos Tsitsipas had an excellent run in 2019. The Greek made into the Australian Open semifinals and clinched the ATP Finals title in London, a tournament which he pulled off a fantastic performance. He beat Roger Federer 6-3,6-4 in the semifinals and defeated Dominic Thiem 6-7(6-8),6-2,7-6(7-4) to win the title. He has since established himself as one of the “next-gen” of tennis players committed to ending the reign of the old regime made up of the Swiss, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
Another player that is highly regarded by Federer is Alexander Zverev. This season he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and was a semifinalist in the ATP Finals. He also dropped from the top 5 best tennis players in the ATP rankings. Despite a rocky season, for the German, Federer still believes he is one of the players to watch out next season. The two faced off in front of a record 42,517 fans in Mexico City, where the Swiss won 6-3,4-6,6-1.
Speaking to TMZ on who he thinks will be among the toughest opponents in 2020, he said, “there’s a few guys right now. They’re going to make life difficult for us next year. I think Zverev, Tsitsipas, and a few others are gonna make it hard.”
Head to head Federer vs. Tsitsipas
Stefanos and Federer have met four times, with all of them winning two matches each. Their last meeting was in the ATP Finals in London, where the Greek defeated the Swiss to reach the finals. He went on to clinch the title. (More details on head to head)
Head to head Federer vs. Zverev
The German enjoys a fantastic win rate against Federer. In the last seven meetings, the German has won four times. He is currently ranked number 7 in the WTA Rankings while the 38-year-old is number 3. (More details on head to head)
Head to head Tsitsipas vs. Zverev
These two next-generation tennis players have not been in good terms. But after the recent laver cup, they have become a bit closer. Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas met five times with the Greek winning four of their matches against each other. (More details on head to head)
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, the Swiss played his last match on the 16th of November when he capitulated to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London.
This year Federer has a 51-10 win-loss record. Federer clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami, in Halle and in Basel. Federer was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.6, Tsitsipas played his last match on the 17th of November when he beat Dominic Thiem 6-76 6-2 7-64 in the final in London to win his 4th career title.
This year the Greek has a 53-25 win-loss record. Tsitsipas conquered 3 titles in 2019 in Marseille, in Estoril and in London. Stefanos was the finalist in Dubai, in Madrid and in Beijing.
Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas played each other 5 times. The head to head is 3-2 for Federer.
The last time that they squared off, Stefanos Tsitsipas won 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London on the 16th November 2019.
Here the highlights.
