Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2017. Today we feature Nick Kyrgios vs. Alexander Zverev:

One of the great rivalries in ATP World Tour history was thrust into the spotlight once again in 2017, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sweeping the Grand Slams and returning to the Top 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. But that wasn’t the only matchup that attracted attention. The curtains opened in what might be one of the next great FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries.

Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, 20 and 22 years old, respectively, are the two youngest players near the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings. They each were at one point the top-ranked junior in the world, and have been widely considered two of the best young talents on the ATP World Tour.

It was only a matter of time before Zverev, armed with his all-around powerful game, met the enigmatic shotmaker, Kyrgios. And the tennis world got its first look at the matchup this year.

Kyrgios, the No. 15 seed, and Zverev, the No. 18 seed, each defeated Argentines in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells to set up the first of what was expected to be many meetings between the friends. But it wasn’t close, with the Australian cruising 6-3, 6-4 in a 73-minute third-round match without facing a break point. He played aggressively, but under control to dismiss the German.

“He’s young and will have a great career,” Kyrgios said after the victory. “We will play each other many more times.”

Kyrgios would then go on to defeat second-seeded Novak Djokovic for the second time in 2017 before withdrawing from a quarter-final against Federer due to illness.

It was clear from Zverev’s comments after the match that he was highly disappointed with his performance, calling it the “worst match I played all year”. But in the very next tournament, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, he’d get another crack at his fellow rising star.

But again, at the Miami Open presented by Itau, it was Kyrgios who got the better of Zverev 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-3 in the quarter-finals without facing a break point. This match, however, was far more intense. Emotions ran high under the lights in a high-quality affair, but Kyrgios seized his sixth match point to claim the victory.

“I respect his game. He’s beaten some of the best players in the world,” Kyrgios said. “We’re going to play a lot more times. And he’s only going to get better. He’s 19 years old… He’s going to continually make me better.”

At the moment, it seemed like Kyrgios was not only ahead in the rivalry, but that he was playing his way to the top of the game. After beating Zverev, the Australian competed in just his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final, and pushed Roger Federer — who would win the tournament — to the brink, holding the match on his racquet serving up 5/4 in a final-set tie-break. It was arguably the most impressive performance of his career given the circumstances.

Yet it was the German who was making a charge into the upper echelon of the ATP World Tour by the time they next met. In fact, Zverev soared up the rankings from 24th at the end of 2016 to as high as No. 3 this year, earning his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Rome.

So when the duo was set to face off in the Round of 16 at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, there was even more hype than before. Zverev had just earned his fourth title of the season at the Citi Open and broke into the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Just days after saving three match points against Richard Gasquet — including one with a 49-shot rally — everything seemed to be going his way.

And that did not change against Kyrgios, with Zverev cruising 6-4, 6-3 in 73 minutes.

“Against him, it’s not easy because he’s one of the biggest servers that we have,” said Zverev, who would go on to claim his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Montreal. “He plays with not a lot of rhythm.”

But Zverev found his rhythm in the match and the tournament, becoming the first player outside of the ‘Big Four’ (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray) to win two Masters 1000 titles in a season since David Nalbandian in 2007, and only the second active player (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga) outside of the quartet to own two of the elite trophies.

While Kyrgios can take the racquet out of his opponents’ hands, smacking forehand winners from anywhere on the court and serving his way out of trouble on both first and second serves, Zverev brings more of a consistency and will be in virtually every match with his steadier aggression from the baseline, which is especially potent on his two-handed backhand wing. It is an unpredictable matchup in which either player can win on any surface on any day.

That is why it wasn’t entirely surprising to see Kyrgios blast through Zverev in the semi-finals of the China Open, winning the last of the pair’s meetings this year, 6-3, 7-5.

While Zverev and Kyrgios are still working to reach their potential, they are inching ever closer to the very best in the sport. Zverev proved it this year by finishing fourth in the Emirates ATP Rankings and earning a berth at his first season finale. Kyrgios on the other hand did not win a title this season, but triumphed in four of six matches against the Top 5, including two wins against Novak Djokovic.

Both players have the talent to continue improving and if they do so, they will challenge each other in the process.

“He’s going to beat me plenty of times in his career,” said Kyrgios at Indian Wells. “I’m going to beat him [too].”

View FedEx ATP Head2Head (Kyrgios leads 3-1)

Kyrgios vs. Zverev: 2017 Meetings

It was well worth the wait. As the book began to close on the ATP Challenger Tour season, Sumit Nagal had one final chapter to write.

The 20-year-old Indian captured his maiden Challenger crown on Saturday, prevailing in front of a raucous home crowd in Bengaluru. Nagal, the youngest player from his country in the Top 500 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, defeated fellow budding #NextGenATP Jay Clarke of Great Britain 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the final.

With one day remaining in the 2017 Challenger season, Nagal claimed his moment of glory. Hailing from a nation of 1.3 billion people, pressure is an unavoidable part of life in the sporting-rich culture of India. But for Nagal, it was nonexistent as he marched to the title behind signature wins over top seed Blaz Kavcic and countryman Yuki Bhambri. The victory marks consecutive weeks with Indian titlists on the ATP Challenger Tour, following Bhambri’s crown in Pune.

For Nagal, the win has added significance, not only as he hopes to inspire the next generation of players from his country, but in his own comeback from a torn labrum in his shoulder. Having been sidelined until May for a period of rest and rehabilitation, Nagal steadily mounted his climb up the Emirates ATP Rankings upon return and is now up to a career-high No. 235 at season’s end. With no points to defend for the first four months of 2018, the sky is the limit for the aspiring #NextGenATP.

It’s a first #ATPChallenger title for @nagalsumit! The ?? defeats Jay Clarke 63 36 62 for the @bengaluruopen ?. pic.twitter.com/lkQIH18ZGh

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 25, 2017

Nagal spoke to ATPWorldTour.com following his victory in Bengaluru…

Congratulations Sumit on winning your first Challenger title. How did it feel to be standing with the trophy?
It’s a great feeling, especially winning in your country. It’s the first time I beat players around the Top 100. Kavcic was 102 and Bhambri was 118. Finally I got the W.

It was a long season. To have this success in the final week, talk about your emotions.
You see, it was a long season but mentally more than physically. I had the shoulder injury and didn’t touch a racquet from November to February. I was very close to getting surgery done. My team told me to first do a rehab for a few months and then we’ll think about surgery. In March I started playing again and I lost four first rounds in a row in Futures.

It was hard. I hadn’t played much and things were going in my head. It was more mentally tough than it was a physical thing. Somehow I managed and I won four out of five Futures in a row. That’s when I started playing better and better. I made five finals in seven tournaments.

2017 Challenger #NextGenATP First-Time Winners: Bublik | Shapovalov | Auger-Aliassime | Santillan | Kuhn | Tsitsipas | Wu Yibing

Did you always believe you could play at this level?
Yes, absolutely. Even last year I played some Challengers in Germany and Italy and I lost to Filip Krajinovic from a set and a break up in Rome and the same thing against Daniel Brands, when I lost 7-5 in the third. I beat Laslo Djere in qualifying and Oscar Otte and Maximilian Marterer. They had great seasons. They were good wins. I also had three match points against Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and couldn’t close it out.

Then physically, I couldn’t go out on the court and know that my shoulder wasn’t going to hurt. I talked with my manager, Mahesh Bhupathi, and decided that we wanted to fix it first and then I’d play. My shoulder was giving me so many problems. It was a labrum tear. And it took me time to start winning those matches that I was losing last year.

You don’t have many opportunities to play in front of the home fans in India at this level. In fact, these two weeks in Pune and Bengaluru are the only Challengers. How special is that for you?
It was really nice, especially in the final. There were more than 2,000 people. I think it’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of in India. It was really good. This crowd played a big role in the final, because they carried me and gave me extra energy when I needed it. They boosted me when I was nervous at the end.

A packed crowd was on hand to enjoy the @bengaluruopen final on Saturday, capping two weeks of #ATPChallenger ? in ??

Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/RRQtX4EeEh pic.twitter.com/WSderKr9Qm

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 26, 2017

Sumit, what went right for you this week? What part of your game was clicking?
In the first round, I played another Indian guy and won easily. In the second round, I got through but it was a tough one against Brydan Klein. I was cramping in the third set and was actually a match point down. I was 4-5 30/40 down and somehow I saved that point and played big from there. After that day, I was thinking how I was going to compete tomorrow. I knew I didn’t have much left in my body.

So I decided to just play very aggressive tennis, because I knew I couldn’t rally for long against Kavcic in the quarters. He’s a great player. It worked really well. And then against Bhambri in the semis, he’s really good when you play defensive and give him angles, so I kept the same strategy. What went well was me being aggressive and coming to the net. Even if I lose some points, it doesn’t matter because of the pressure I’m putting on the other guy. I used my forehand a lot and I was going big with it.

In the final, I broke Clarke late in the first set but in the second he got me good. He made me think too much before I hit. I fell for his strategy. When he broke me, he got too net cords too and that was frustrating. In the third set, I knew that he had much more control in his hands, so the only chance I had was to go for my shots. When I had a break point in the third, I just ripped it and had a clean winner on his serve. That’s when everything changed.

You are the youngest player from India in the Top 500. Do you feel any pressure? And how do you hope this win will help grow the game there?
No, not at all. I actually don’t. I just want to do something for my country. Me winning a Challenger shows that they can do it too. It doesn’t matter how your junior tournaments went. But if you keep doing the right thing, it can change so fast. You don’t have to hit amazing forehands and backhands. All you have to do is fight for every point and wake up every day and say that I’m going to get one per cent better. Today I’m going to get 0.5 per cent better. It’s just about having the right motivation and right determination to work hard, but in a smart way.

Who gave you that inspiration when you were growing up? Who did you look up to?
I didn’t have one favourite. I picked things from everyone. When I watched Nadal, for example, the guy has won so many Grand Slams, but every match he plays he doesn’t want to lose a point. He doesn’t want to give a game. Whether you’re Top 10 or No. 140 in the world, he has the same attitude. That’s very tough to do. He knows that even if he’s playing at 80 per cent he can win matches. But he never does that. That’s what I love and what I’ve learned from him.

Same thing for David Ferrer and his work ethic. You can see it from his eyes and from his face. And for Andy Murray, I love his defence and how to play in certain situations. He plays the best defence in my opinion.

With Mahesh Bhupathi as your manager, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken from him?
I can’t say there’s one lesson. He’s always guided me and he’s always been there. From how and where to play and what I’m feeling. He might tell me to take a week off here and there or to keep playing that I’ll get through it. It’s stuff like that. And sometimes he’ll give me tips on how to play certain players. I’ve gotten other offers in the past, but it’s so nice to have him.

How does a win like this change your goals for next year? You’re very close to the Top 200 now.
It’s really good, because I was defending a lot of points at the end of the season. And the last three months I failed to do it and I went from 260 to 330 in the [Emirates ATP Rankings]. Now, after winning the Challenger, I’m already up to No. 225. The good thing is, I’m not defending anything for the next five or six months. I only started playing in May, because I was hurt. So it was a big win for the opportunities it will give me to participate in tournaments next year. I’m also set for Australian Open qualies as well.

The ATP World Tour today published the 2017 year-end Emirates ATP Rankings on ATPWorldTour.com, after a memorable and exciting season that saw Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer finish in the Top 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the seventh time, the first since 2010.

In addition, there were three players finishing in the Top 5 for the first time since 2003. The new trio were No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, who closed the season by capturing the Nitto ATP Finals in London, No. 4 Alexander Zverev and No. 5 Dominic Thiem. Dimitrov, Zverev, No. 7 David Goffin, No. 8 Jack Sock and No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta finished in the year-end Top 10 for the first time. The five first-time additions in the year-end Top 10 is the most since 1997.

The Top 10 of 2017
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) – No. 1 for fourth time (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017) and oldest (31) year-end No. 1 continuing 14 years of ‘Big 4’ dominance at the top of Emirates ATP Rankings (2004-17)
2. Roger Federer (SUI) – Oldest (36) to finish No. 2 and record 11th time in year-end Top 2 (five times at No. 1, six times at No. 2)
3. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) – Jumps from No. 17 in 2016 and first player with maiden Top 10 finish at No. 3 since Djokovic in 2007
4. Alexander Zverev (GER) – Youngest (20) in year-end Top 4 since Djokovic at No. 3 in 2007 and first German in year-end Top 10 since No. 6 Rainer Schuettler in 2003
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) – Second straight year in Top 10 and first Austrian in year-end Top 5 since No. 5 Thomas Muster in 1996
6. Marin Cilic (CRO) – No. 6 for second straight year and third Top 10 finish in four years
7. David Goffin (BEL) – First Belgian in Top 10 with career-best 59 match wins (second-most in 2017 behind Nadal with 67)
8. Jack Sock (USA) – First American to finish in Top 10 since No. 8 Mardy Fish in 2011 and improved from No. 23 in 2016
9. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) – Finishes in Top 10 for fifth year in a row and second-oldest (32) of three players 30 & over in Top 10
10. Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) – Improves from No. 30 in 2016, biggest jump in Top 10 (20 places) like Zverev

View Full 2017 Year-End Emirates ATP Rankings

2017 Year-End Emirates ATP Rankings Quick Facts

* For the second year in a row France leads all countries with 10 players in the Top 100 (including six in the Top 50), followed by the United States with nine (the most since 2011) and Germany and Spain both with eight. Spain has the most in the Top 50 with seven).

* For a record seventh time Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer finish in the Top 2, the most by any duo in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings (since 1973). Prior to this season they finished in the Top 2 from 2005-2010.

* Nadal, who ended last year No. 9, becomes the first player since Andy Roddick in 2003, to finish No. 1 from outside the Top 5 the previous season. Roddick was No. 10 in 2002 before finishing No. 1 the following season.

* Federer, who climbs from No. 16 last year to No. 2, finishes in the Top 10 for the 15th time in 16 years. Federer becomes the first player since Nadal to jump from outside the Top 10 to No. 2 the following year. Nadal went from No. 51 in 2004 to No. 2 in 2005. Federer trails Andre Agassi and Jimmy Connors, who both have a record 16 year-end Top 10 finishes.

* Serbian Filip Krajinovic makes the biggest jump (203 spots) in the Top 50 from No. 237 at the end of 2016 to a year-end ranking of No. 34.

* #NextGenATP teenager Denis Shapovalov finishes a year-end best No. 51. The 18-year-old Canadian is the youngest of three teenagers to finish in the Top 100 along with and No. 79 Frances Tiafoe (19) of the U.S and No. 91 Stefanos Tsitsipas (19) of Greece. Tsitsipas is the first Greek man to finish in the Top 100. Overall 10 #NextGen players (21 & under) are in the Top 100 year-end rankings, the most since 12 in 2008.

* Ivo Karlovic, 38, is the oldest in the Top 100 at No. 80 and one of a record 43 players aged 30 & over in the year-end Top 100.

* No. 4 Alexander Zverev and No. 33 Mischa Zverev are the first brothers in the year-end Top 35 in singles since 1991 with No. 14 Emilio Sanchez and No. 32 Javier Sanchez.

* Brazilian Marcelo Melo finishes No. 1 in doubles for the second time in three years. He and partner Lukasz Kubot of Poland are No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings in their first season together.

* Sock (No. 8 singles, No. 39 doubles), Carreno Busta (No. 10 singles, No. 44 doubles), Pablo Cuevas (No. 32 singles, No. 21 doubles), Feliciano Lopez (No. 36 singles, No. 24 doubles) and Ryan Harrison (No. 47 singles, No.16 doubles) are the only five players who ended the year in Top 50 of both singles and doubles.

The 2018 ATP World Tour season begins Sunday 31 December in Brisbane (Monday 1 January in Doha and Pune).

The 2017 ATP World Tour season was full of thrilling moments, classic matches, and plenty of memories that nobody will forget anytime soon. Over the course of the next month, ATPWorldTour.com will take fans through the very best of those moments.

We will recap the premier rivalries of 2017, the best matches from the ATP World Tour, the greatest matches from the Grand Slams, the most stunning upsets, retirements and more. Look for new content each day as we reflect on a great year and count down to the start of the 2018 season, which begins 31 December in Brisbane (and 1 January in Doha and Pune).

RIVALRIES

Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin del Potro

A LOOK BACK
EA Hua Hin Open Challenger (Hua Hin, Thailand): One of the biggest storylines of the year has been the success of players returning from injury. Filip Krajinovic, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Matthew Ebden and Nicolas Jarry all stole the headlines with impressive ATP Challenger Tour campaigns. Add John Millman to that list. The Aussie claimed his first Challenger crown in two years, and ninth of his career, with a ruthless run to the title in Hua Hin. Millman did not drop a set all week, including a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the final over countryman Andrew Whittington.

Former World No. 60 Millman is on the rise after returning to the circuit in May, following groin surgery at the start of the season. The Tecnifibre player would fall out of the Top 200 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but is surging in his comeback. He finishes the 2017 season at No. 128, up 37 spots with the title on Thai soil. The 28-year-old Aussie was also a finalist in Lexington, U.S.A. and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in addition to a run to the third round at the US Open in early September.

In The Gym With John Millman

Bengaluru Open (Bangalore, India): It was a fight to the finish for 20-year-old Sumit Nagal, who edged British teen Jay Clarke 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 for his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Bengaluru. India’s #NextGenATP star is well on his way to breaking into the Top 200 after soaring 96 spots to a career-high No. 225 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The sky’s the limit for Nagal, who has no points to defend until May. His victory marks the second in as many weeks for the surging Indian contingent, following Yuki Bhambri’s title in nearby Pune.

Rio Tennis Classic (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil): Fourth seed Carlos Berlocq heads into the offseason on a high, after clinching his first title of the season. Berlocq lifted the trophy in Rio de Janeiro after Spain’s Jaume Munar retired down 6-3, 2-6, 3-0 in Sunday’s final. It was Berlocq’s 18th crown on the Challenger circuit, drawing level with Go Soeda for fourth on the all-time list. Only Yen-Hsun Lu (29), Dudi Sela (22) and Paolo Lorenzi (19) have more triumphs. 

.@charlyberlocq rolls in Rio, lifting his first #ATPChallenger ? of 2017 on the final day of the season. pic.twitter.com/Axh2EmpV23

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 26, 2017

Andria Castel del Monte Challenger (Andria, Italy): The indoor hard court event in Andria has been a staple of the final week of the season since 2013. Uladzimir Ignatik claimed its fifth edition on Sunday, defeating Belgian qualifier Christopher Heyman in what was the final match of the season on the ATP Challenger Tour. Ignatik took a gripping encounter in a deciding tie-break, prevailing 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(3) in two hours and eight minutes. With his second title of the season, Ignatik extended Belarus’ perfect record in finals this year to 6-0. Egor Gerasimov (3-0) and Ilya Ivashka (1-0) also prevailed in 2017.

Meanwhile, Heyman was the surprise story of the week in reaching the final in his first career Challenger main draw. The qualifier had upset home hope Andrea Arnaboldi, second seed and 2014 champion Ricardas Berankis, eighth seed Zdenek Kolar and third seed Mirza Basic, before nearly toppling Ignatik.

Uladzimir Ignatik is the champion in Andria, taking his second #ATPChallenger title of the season, 67(3) 64 76(3) over Heyman.

?? finishes 2017 with a perfect 6-0 mark in finals pic.twitter.com/ya6e619YBl

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 26, 2017

A LOOK AHEAD
We’ll see you in 2018! The ATP Challenger Tour is on a one-month hiatus, before returning with a trio of events beginning 1 January – Noumea, New Caledonia; Playford, Australia; Bangkok, Thailand.