Alexander Zverev believes that the next few years will be exciting as the #NextGenATP generation establish themselves on the ATP Tour and continue to battle the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the sport’s biggest prizes.

Speaking ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals, where the German will bid to retain his title, Zverev said: “Rafa, Novak and Roger have been great rivals for a number of years, but hopefully we’re some of the guys – along with [Denis] Shapovalov, who is now playing great tennis – at the [Nitto ATP] Finals for many years.

“Some of the young guys aren’t here yet, but there is a very strong group of younger players. Two years ago, when I had my breakthrough season and I played here for the first time, I didn’t expect to make it here as quickly. Daniil [Medvedev], with the year he has had, has been amazing, but it’s maybe been a little bit of a surprise for people. I think we’ll see more surprises to come.

“There will be unexpected results and some guys winning the bigger tournaments, which we haven’t seen for 10-15 years. The next two or three years will be very exciting as you’ll still have the Big 3, who are still consistently better than us — a true fact, and the young guys, who are improving quite quickly.”

Twelve months ago, Zverev captured the biggest title of his career at the season finale, becoming the first player to beat both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the 10 years that both men were in the field (2007-15, 2018). He was the first German titlist since Boris Becker in 1995 and the youngest year-end champion since Djokovic, aged 21, in 2008.

The 22-year-old is proud that after a difficult 2019, he is among the best eight singles players for a third successive year.

“As everyone probably knows I didn’t have the best season I wanted to have, but I’m still top eight in the world and made London,” said Zverev. “A lot of people would dream of that, so being with these guys is an unbelievable honour and I wanted to come back here and give myself a chance to retain my title. I want to play some good matches as well.”

The Monte-Carlo resident clinched his 11th ATP Tour trophy in May, winning three consecutive three-set matches at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open that culminated in saving two match points against Nicolas Jarry in the final. He also finished runner-up at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (l. to Kyrgios) in March and at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (l. to Medvedev) in October.

Zverev will begin his 2019 Nitto ATP Finals campaign against World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in Group Andre Agassi on Monday evening. Buy Your Tickets

Stefanos Tsitsipas is like a kid in a candy store at The O2 in London, walking around behind-the-scenes at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he will make his season finale debut next week. The Greek has made a successful transition from lifting the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy 12 months ago, to featuring among the best eight players in the world at the prestigious event to be held from 10-17 November.

“I am very proud of myself to have put in a lot of effort and work to get here,” said Tsitsipas on Friday. “It’s a great transition from the Next Gen ATP Finals to here, both great events. It’s great being part of such a prestigious event with a long history in our sport. It’s a very important tournament, which everyone is dreaming of playing and being a part of one day. It’s also a good tournament to end the year with.”

This year, Tsitsipas is one of four players aged 23 and under — also Alexander Zverev (22), Daniil Medvedev (23) and Matteo Berrettini (23) — competing at the Nitto ATP Finals. They will join Roger Federer (38), Rafael Nadal (33), Novak Djokovic (32) and Dominic Thiem (26) in the first all European singles line-up in the tournament’s history.

When asked about his fellow young rivals, the Greek said: “I believe the competition between us is something really important for the sport. We’re young and just getting started, so it’s obviously very fiery and we want to beat each other. But we appreciate each game, everyone plays differently and it’s quite interesting to see so many varieties.

“We are the future, we will be the ones that will fill the stadiums and get people to watch tennis. We’re going to create the future of the sport, along with other younger players.”

Tsitsipas has enjoyed a standout 2019, compiling 50 match wins for the first time in his career. He became the first Greek player to break into the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings (at No. 5) on 5 August 2019, during a season which has included titles at the Open 13 Provence (d. Kukushkin) and at the Millennium Estoril Open (d. Cuevas).

Working under the guidance of Patrick Mouratoglou, and his father, Apostolos, in London this week, Tsitsipas will make his Nitto ATP Finals debut against fellow first-time participant Medvedev in Group Andre Agassi during Monday’s afternoon session. Buy Your Tickets

It’s safe to say that Jannik Sinner has gained a few new fans this season.

In January, the Italian teenager was competing at an ITF Futures event in Tunisia. On Friday, he walked on court at the Next Gen ATP Finals to find thousands of fans at the Allianz Cloud cheering for him and holding signs with his name. Sinner credited the support in Milan with helping him defeat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic and complete a dream run into the championship match against top seed Alex de Minaur.

”I think the crowd gives you a kind of energy, which is very important for a player,” Sinner said. “Today, I was a little bit more nervous because it’s a semi-final. Tomorrow, I will, of course, be a little bit nervous, which is normal. You have to try to put it away and focus on your game, which I think I have done a good job of today.”

His run as a wild card this week is the latest highlight in a remarkable season of growth. Sinner hadn’t won an ATP Challenger Tour match prior to arriving in Bergamo this February, but delighted the home crowd by taking the title and becoming the youngest Italian winner in Challenger history. His first ATP Tour main draw win came two months later in Budapest, followed by his first ATP Masters 1000 win in Rome. Last month, he defeated Gael Monfils to reach his maiden tour-level semi-final in Antwerp. 

Supporters of Italian tennis have had plenty to cheer for this year, including Matteo Berrettini qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals and Fabio Fognini winning his first Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo, but Sinner’s run in Milan has stirred the crowds this week into near-hysteria. Fans have packed the stands to watch him practise and the list of media outlets hoping to speak with him grows each day. Although the 18-year-old can appear shy, he has embraced being recognised for his success.

“I enjoy the spotlight. I think it’s something new. [The fans are] just trying to cheer for me,” Sinner said. “Sometimes guys the same age as me are coming up to me and asking for photos or autographs. It’s strange, but it feels good.”

Sinner will have the spotlight on him once again when he takes on De Minaur in Saturday’s final. But regardless of the final score, he is determined to create another memorable moment for his growing legion of fans.

”It’s unbelievable here, the atmosphere, and I enjoy every moment I play,” Sinner said. “I will try to play my best tennis because against Alex, if you want to win, you have to. It’s not an easy match tomorrow, but I will try my best.”

Ten years ago, Russian Nikolay Davydenko had teenagers like Daniil Medvedev in awe as they watched him beat Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro to win the Nitto ATP Finals title the first year the season finale was held at The O2 in London.

Davydenko became the first Russian to win the season-ending event and, to date, remains the only Russian to have won the prestigious title. But Medvedev, now 23 years old and ranked No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, will try to change that next week when he makes his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, which is in its second-to-last year in London.

The Moscow native has been drawn in Group Andre Agassi along with No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and No. 7 Alexander Zverev of Germany.

“I think all of us young Russian players saw this title. It was amazing, he’s the only Russian to win it,” Medvedev said. “It feels really good, I think for the country, to be back here, to represent my country, and hopefully I can just show some good tennis and win some matches.”

Medvedev has been doing a lot of winning in 2019, his best season on Tour. The 6’6” right-hander leads the ATP Tour in wins (59), finals reached (nine) and is one title away from tying Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic (five) atop the ATP Tour 2019 titles leaderboard.

By making six consecutive finals – Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati (title), US Open, St. Petersburg (title), Shanghai (title) – the Russian joined the Big Four of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray as the only active players who have reached six or more consecutive finals.

The Russian last played at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he fell in his opening match to home favourite Jeremy Chardy in three sets.

“I’m still confident about my game,” Medvedev said. “Paris was not the result I wanted, but it happens, it’s tennis. Jeremy played a great match, so good. I had my opportunities, didn’t use them. Every match you play, you can lose or win, there’s no draw or anything like in other sports. This time I lost, but I know that if I manage to be in great shape on Monday – that’s what we’re trying to do now with my team – I have chances to win if I play good, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Medvedev will face Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during Monday’s afternoon session. Medvedev leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-0, which includes a straight-sets win in the Rolex Shanghai Masters semi-finals last month.

“Hopefully, we’re going to have a lot of matches to come throughout our careers, in the later stages of the tournament,” Medvedev said of himself, Tsitsipas and Zverev. “Hopefully we can have a lot of great matches to come.”

Alex de Minaur is the top seed in Milan, the highest-ranked player in the field (No. 18) and the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up (l. to Tsitsipas).

He is also the only player in the field who has yet to drop a match, and the 20-year-old will play in his second Milan final on Saturday night against 18-year-old Jannik Sinner, the eighth-seeded Italian wild card.

But don’t tell De Minaur he is the favourite ahead of his second Next Gen ATP Finals title match. “I don’t see it as I’m the favourite; I see it as it’s just another tennis match,” he said.

The Aussie returned to the Next Gen ATP Finals title match on Friday with a 4-2, 4-1, 0-4, 4-2 win against American Frances Tiafoe. De Minaur improved to 2-0 against the affable American in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, having also beaten Tiafoe in four sets at the 2018 US Open.

For the second consecutive year, De Minaur rolls into the Milan final with a perfect 4-0 record. Yet he’s not feeling overly confident ahead of the final. Sinner, at No. 95 in the ATP Rankings, is 77 spots lower than De Minaur. But the teenager is 3-1 this week and will have the Italian crowd roaring on Saturday night.

De Minaur said: “Here you put everything aside. It doesn’t matter what rankings, form, how you have been playing. It’s a tennis match, and you’re playing your opponent. It’s about whoever plays better on that day.

“Coming through this week, I haven’t thought about being the favourite once. Coming tomorrow, it is not going to change. It’s just another tennis match for me, and I’m going to do everything in my power to come tomorrow and play the best possible tennis I can, and hopefully that will be able to help.”

He and Sinner have never played, but De Minaur has been impressed by the Italian’s run. Sinner, after starting the year at No. 551, has climbed 456 spots in the ATP Rankings this season and beat Nitto ATP Finals alternate Gael Monfils last month en route to the semi-finals of the European Open, an ATP 250.

“You can just see what he’s been able to accomplish, especially in the ATPs. It’s pretty special,” De Minaur said. “The amount of firepower he has is up there with anyone out there on Tour. It’s pretty amazing to see and to witness, because it doesn’t come very often.”

Sinner is the first Italian to make the semi-finals and title match of the Next Gen ATP Finals in the tournament’s three-year history. At 18, he is also the tournament’s youngest finalist.

The Italian beat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, No. 60 in the ATP Rankings, 2-4, 4-1, 4-2, 4-2 to make the final. Sinner saved eight of nine break points faced.

“I think the atmosphere will be great like today. It’s unbelievable here, the atmosphere, and I enjoy every moment I play,” Sinner said. “I will try to play my best tennis, because against Alex, if you want to win, you have to. It’s not an easy match tomorrow, but I [will] try my best.”

Rafael Nadal doesn’t want to sound greedy. The World No. 1 knows he’s not in a position to garner sympathy.

Nadal, an 84-time tour-level champion, has won more than he ever dreamed of when he was the ages of his fellow Group Andre Agassi competitors – Daniil Medvedev (23), Stefanos Tsitsipas (21) and Alexander Zverev (22).

But when it comes right down to it, of course the top-seeded Spaniard would love to win one of the few Big Titles missing in his trophy case.

The 33-year-old has a rare opportunity to win a Big Title for the first time next week at the Nitto ATP Finals, which begins Sunday at The O2 in southeast London. Nadal first plays on Monday evening against seventh seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev of Germany.

The top seed has played at the season finale eight times and has twice reached the final (2013, 2010) but has never won the Nitto ATP Finals title.

“To play here is always a very special thing. [I’m] excited to be back here in London in one of the great events of the year,” Nadal said on Friday. “I’m going to try my best to keep producing chances to compete well, and if I’m competing well, I’m playing at my best, I hope to have my chances to have a good result.”

Nadal has the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking to play for this week as well. The Spaniard (9,585 points) currently leads Serbian Novak Djokovic (8,945) by 680 points in the ATP Rankings. An undefeated champion next week will take home 1,500 ATP Rankings points.

Nadal is attempting to draw even with Djokovic and Roger Federer with his fifth year-end No. 1 finish. “Of course, I would love to be the year-end No. 1,” he said. “I would love to be equal with Roger and Novak.”

Of first concern for Nadal, however, is his health. He pulled out of his Rolex Paris Masters semi-final with Canadian Denis Shapovalov last Saturday, 2 November, because of an abdominal injury he sustained during his warm-up.

Nadal said he started serving on Thursday and isn’t worried about his form heading into the season finale.

“It’s a tournament [where] you will face the top guys since the beginning, so you need to be 100 per cent ready,” he said. “But I really hope that I will be able to serve every single day a little better, and my goal is to be on Sunday serving normal.

“I have good hopes to be 100 per cent ready for Monday,” he said.

The 33-year-old is the only player in his 30s in Group Andre Agassi. But Nadal is pleased to be among the future – and the present – at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I am 33 and a half, that’s old, young, old to play tennis, young like a person… I’m happy to be where I am today. For me, it’s a dream come true to be what I am at this moment in my career. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be where I am when [I was] in the position of all of them. But I feel lucky with all the things that happened to me during all these years,” Nadal said.

“It’s an exciting moment in tennis. We can see here there [are] a lot of very young players, and they are improving… and this is healthy for the sport, too. I think they are super good. They say they are the future, but they are the present and, of course, the future of our sport.”