A few former ATP players, John Isner, Jack Sock, and Sam Querrey, recently sat down for a podcast to discuss the state of tennis, mentioning Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
Tsitsipas and Zverev are among the best tennis players in the world, but their careers share some parallels. While neither is the youngest anymore, both have yet to win a Grand Slam trophy.
Both are considered Grand Slam-winning talents, even though it hasn't quite worked out for them so far. Both have played in Grand Slam finals before, with Tsitsipas playing in one Roland Garros and one Australian Open final.
Zverev played in the US Open final against Dominic Thiem, as well as the Roland Garros final against Carlos Alcaraz earlier this year. On top of that, both were one set away from winning a Grand Slam trophy, so there are a lot of similarities between them.
It would be wrong to suggest that time is running out, but both are already closer to being 30 than they are to the time when they turned 20, which means that their time is running out, especially with more and more shiny new talents coming out every day.
Very few tennis players have had the type of career Stan Wawrinka had, winning majors in late 20s and early 30s, and while it's not impossible, it's not likely either. In their podcast, the American trio talked about Zverev and Tsitsipas, agreeing that the German is the more likely of the two to win a Grand Slam trophy.
"It's a good take because both those guys have been so close, obviously Sascha twice and then Tsitsipas at the French Open up two sets to love against Djokovic in the final. When you get that close and don’t slam the door shut, that can wear on you mentally."
"I think Zverev snags one… Tsitsipas is trending in the wrong direction."
Trending in the wrong direction might sound quite harsh, but it's an accurate statement to make. The Greek player hasn't shown much of a high level this year, and while he's still a fabulous tennis player, there has been some personal turmoil recently that makes many wonder whether he'll be able to find his way back to his top form.
Zverev, on the other hand, is on pace to have the winningest season of his life in terms of match wins and has certainly looked like a top contender at times. He doesn't have many trophies to show for it this year, but he's trending upwards, which can't be said for Tsitsipas.
Isner agrees because Zverev's massive serve can power him through matches even when he doesn't play that well. It happened before, and it's very likely that once, it simply clicks for him at the right moment.
"I think Sascha will get over the hump simply because of how well he can serve when he has one of those good days or good weeks."
0 Comments