By Mike McIntyre
Alexander Zverev stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in which he played near flawless tennis. The 21 year old served noticed (literally) that he belongs in the top of the men's game as he captured the biggest title of his young career.
Despite the fact that Djokovic had yet to drop a set all week in London including a decisive 6-4, 6-1 victory over Zverev in round robin play, it was the German who was in total control of the match that counted the most.
Zverev served regularly at the 140mph mark or higher and with incredible precision against one of the best returners that the men's game has ever seen. His ground strokes were punishing and he played with just the right amount of aggression to deny Djokovic any opportunity to control the match on his terms.
There's little that remains for the now World No. 4 to accomplish on the ATP World Tour other than to translate that success in one of the four Grand Slam events. Many expected that to happen in 2018 but instead Zverev finished in the third round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and managed a quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros - the first of his career at a major.
We'll have to wait a couple of months now to see if he can take the success he has experienced in the Tour finals and turn it into something tangible at a major, but his victory could be sign that big things are soon to happen for him. Being ten years younger than Djokovic, and even more so than Nadal and Federer bodes well for Zverev's long term potential. While other talented players like Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic - among others - have seen a good chunk of their professional careers overshadowed by the Big Three, Zverev and his Next Gen crew will undoubtedly play the bulk of theirs once those legends have retired. Even if Zverev does not hoist his first Slam in 2019, he has given notice that his moment is coming given his strong finish to this year.
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