"Younger players had a breakthrough in 2021" says Alexander Zverev

The 2021 season saw the most success on Tour by the younger generation due to their better play overall but also injuries to older players. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have not played the whole season and Novak Djokovic played only the biggest events. Even so, all grand slam finals featured a younger player with Medvedev being the one to win the US Open against Djokovic.

Asked about the breakthrough Zverev commented:

“First of all, we’re not young anymore. We did make a big step forward this year. The young guys have won all the Masters (1000 titles) apart from Rome and Paris. My winning the Olympics was a big statement. Daniil winning the US Open was a big statement.”

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For Zverev this is something that was going to happen no matter what. Time passes and the German believes it to be part of the natural curve. He said:

“I think the young guys are coming through and it’s a natural curve. The top 10 is definitely getting younger. I think that’s a good thing for our sport as well.”

Asked to reflect on his own 2021, Zverev said:

“I think I’ve played good tennis this year. There is a reason why I won five tournaments, there is a reason why I’m the only person that won multiple Masters this year. Also at the Olympics, I have a gold medal,” he said. I do look forward to this week, to the tournament. I want to do well, and I want to win matches here, that’s for sure.”