David Ferrer: 'Next Gen stars will challenge Federer, Nadal and Djokovic'
After almost 20 years on the Tour, David Ferrer decided to end his career back in May at Caja Magica. A former world no. 3 and a Grand Slam finalist was one of the most successful players outside the 'Big 3' in the last 15 years, working hard on improvements in his game regularly and standing as a role model for the upcoming generations. David received the Davis Cup Award of Excellence in Madrid during the Davis Cup Finals where Spain lifted the trophy, heading to London after that and competing at the Royal Albert Hole over the weekend in the ATP Champions Tour. The Spaniard lost to Marcos Baghdatis before beating Goran Ivanisevic and Tommy Haas, finishing the singles campaign with a tight defeat against his compatriot and a good friend Juan Carlos Ferrero.
While in London, David had the opportunity to speak about Rafael Nadal's season but also the upcoming tennis stars who look ready to take the throne from Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, the dominant figures in the last 15 seasons. Alexander Zverev has already claimed three Masters 1000 titles and the ATP Finals in 2018, succeeded by Stefanos Tsitsipas who conquered London in November to become the sixth-youngest player at the premium ATP event. Players like Daniil Medvedev (two Masters 1000 titles in 2019), Alex de Minaur, Jannik Sinner, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime all had a breakthrough season and Ferrer expects them to challenge the legends in the next couple of years, even at Majors where they still stand strong.
"There are young tennis players who are coming through, winning important tournaments like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Jannik Sinner. The gap is closing and the next couple of years should be good. Next year, one of the Next Gen will get a chance to win one of the Grand Slams because Tsitsipas recently won the ATP Finals and this tournament is like a Grand Slam."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2qokIRw
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