Alexander Zverev could be tennis’s next star, despite his height

IT HAS been a while since men’s tennis last featured a rising star who had realised his full potential. In the era of the “big four”, in which Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have dominated the sport like no previous quartet, there has been a steady stream of young contenders. But until this season, all of them had stalled before they could dethrone the established stars. The man who is finally making headway is Alexander Zverev (pictured), a lanky German who celebrated his 20th birthday in April. In May, Mr Zverev defeated Mr Djokovic at the Italian Open in Rome to become the youngest player to claim a title at the Masters level—the rung just below the grand slams—since Mr Djokovic himself won a championship in that tier in 2007 as a 19-year-old.

After a disappointing first-round exit at the French Open and a narrow, five-set loss to Milos Raonic in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Mr Zverev reasserted himself at another Masters-level event in August, defeating Mr Federer in straight sets at the...Continue reading