NextGen are in!
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Tennis’ old guard have recently returned to such roaring form that the ATP’s youngest big talents – dubbed the ‘NextGen’ – have not been able to combat it. Regardless, some of tennis’ best have emerged from that NextGen, and excelled on various surfaces, giving fans hope for the future.
Among them are Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, both of whom are now into Week 2. Zverev, the younger of two tennis playing brothers, is the tenth seed here. Currently World No. 12, he was ranked 10th – the youngest person in the top 10 – before a few losses saw him go down in the standings.
But now, Zverev has in quick succession proved his prowess on both clay and grass, taking his first ever ATP Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open in Rome on outdooor clay courts. He then made the finals at the Wimbledon warm-up in Halle, Germany, making the finals before being schooled by a dominant Roger Federer. He has carried that grass prowess into Wimbledon, breezing through the first three rounds without dropping a set.
Zverev’s only real trying moment came perhaps in his opening match with Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy taking him to a tiebreak in one set – but Zverev has made quick work of his other two opponents – relative newcomers in Frances Tiafoe – who has been rocketing up the rankings himself – and Austria’s Sebastian Ofner.
Now will come the 20-year-old’s biggest contest in former World No. 4 Milos Raonic, who, despite being the runner-up in 2016, has not really looked himself for a few months now.
The tall Zverev has some great game variations and moves quickly on court. Also tall with quite a big serve, the player has been able to adapt his game well to the surface. With the guidance of older brother Mischa – an experienced serve-and-volleyer, Zverev can go even further in the tournament.
Another face many have been watching for a few years now is Austria’s Dominic Thiem. The 23-year-old seeded 8th here, has not had as smooth a road as he would have liked during the tournament, but has done well regardless. Considered a clay-court specialist over all, Thiem defeated King of Clay Nadal on that surface earlier this year before ousting Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the French Open.
Until 2017, the young Austrian had never passed beyond Round 2 here. This year, however, he appears to not only have found a better all court game – with some great volleys in his most recent match of Week 1 – against American Jared Donaldson, and his good results will only strengthen his resolve.
