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It remains to be seen whether Alexander Zverev's win at the ATP Finals, undoubtedly the crowning achievement of the young German's career, is the kind of coming-of-age moment, like Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2003, that becomes the platform for a period of dominance. The 21-year-old is regularly cited as the future of tennis, but he has the unenviable task of dislodging those who have dominated the sport for the best part of two decades.
Indeed, it is remarkable to see the current men's world rankings; of the current top seven players, only Zverev is under 30. Wimbledon in 2016 was the last time a male player - Andy Murray - lifted a Grand Slam in their 20s, and the popular Scot was 29 at the time. It's all the more incredible, because tennis used to be thought of as a young person's sport - consider Boris Becker winning Wimbledon at age 17, almost half as old as Rafael Nadal is now; or Bjorn Borg retiring at 26, with Roger Federer, more than a decade older, still going strong.
'Fab 4' have dominated men's tennis
Of course, we have lived through a remarkable period of men's tennis, one which has seen three great champions – Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – and, with the utmost respect, one very good one in Andy Murray, a player who may have had over a dozen Grand Slams had he not been born in the same era as those three previously mentioned.
But, while we should take nothing away from the unsurpassed achievement of those above, the last 15 years or so of tennis have also been characterised by a failure of younger players to dislodge the old guard. They are among the greatest players of all time, but with the exception of Stan Wawrinka (now 33), nobody really consistently challenged the 'Fab 4'.
Zverev fourth-favourite for Australian Open
So, what does Zverev have to offer? Is he part of a vanguard of young players coming through or just a lone challenger? His next test will, of course, be the Australian Open in January. The bookmakers, by and large, don't think he is ready to conquer all before him, with 888sport's Australian Open odds pricing the young German at 9/1. Not a long shot obviously, but a fair distance behind the favourite Novak Djokovic at 13/10.
However, it must be remembered that Zverev has not made it past the quarter finals of a Slam before. It's part of the reason the Roger Federer, despite ageing legs, and Rafael Nadal are rated as 6/1 and 11/2 by to win Down Under. Nous must be also added to skill to win a Grand Slam.
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While the top 10 of men's tennis is littered with players aged 30 and upwards, there is a smattering of young talent coming through to join Zverev. Karen Khachanov, Borna Coric and Stefanos Tsitsipas are all aged 22 or under and sitting just outside the top 10 in the world. The question is whether they can make a sustained challenge or fall away like so many others in the past?
Time, of course, will catch up with the likes of Federer and Djokovic. But great sport stars are made by beating other great sport stars, not those whose careers are already over. For Zverev and the other youngsters, it will be up to them to dislodge the current veterans while they are at their peak, not simply replace them when they retire. A difficult task, but not an impossible one.
