When Roger Federer retired, and Rafael Nadal followed suit just two years later, it felt like the end of an era.
Novak Djokovic was still present on the ATP Tour, but two of his greatest rivals had finally been removed. Now, only the Serbian was left to uphold the dominance that three men had established over the sport for two decades.
Therefore, it was expected that, at last, an entire generation would finally get their chance to challenge for Grand Slams.
The likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and even Casper Ruud were backed to be the biggest beneficiaries, with Alexander Zverev chief among them.
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However, few could possibly have predicted the rapid emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who swiftly burst onto the scene and picked up where the Big Three had left off.
There was real fear that Zverev might finish his career without a major, having been widely recognised as the greatest to have never won one.
Fortunately for him, circumstances this year helped him finally cross the line, with Roger Federer delighted to see it happen.
Roger Federer admits he was ‘incredibly happy’ to see Alexander Zverev win a Grand Slam title
Speaking in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, the Swiss superstar offered his thoughts on Zverev’s successes this year, which not only included winning his maiden major title, but also adding another in New York last month.
Federer insisted: “Given his ability, these two titles were long overdue. That’s why I was incredibly happy for him.
“He dared to play bold tennis even in the big matches.”
However, he also argued that he and plenty of others had been trying to get him to make one key change for years, and only when he followed that advice did the wins come.
He argued: “Many others, including myself, have advised him for years to be more aggressive from the baseline and to dictate the game more. In the important moments, he often had the problem that he became too passive.”
Federer finished with a brief word on Alcaraz, adding: “Alcaraz has an incredible amount of talent – so much so that at times he still has to learn how to handle it himself.”
Roger Federer’s head-to-head record vs Alexander Zverev
Federer had doubted Zverev’s ability to win Grand Slams in the past, so to see him finally achieve this feat must have been a relief for those who were willing him on to such success.
It’s almost ironic that he would take this position, considering Federer contributed to a dominance that made his wait for a first major title so long.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Rome Masters | Second round | Federer |
| 2016 | Halle | Semi-final | Zverev |
| 2017 | Halle | Final | Federer |
| 2017 | Montreal (Rogers Cup) | Final | Zverev |
| 2017 | ATP Finals, London | Round robin | Federer |
| 2018 | ATP Finals, London | Semi-final | Zverev |
| 2019 | Shanghai Masters | Quarter-final | Zverev |
They co-existed on the ATP Tour for many years together, with the German forced to start his career arguably during the peak of the Big Three’s powers.
Interestingly, he actually finished his career with a positive head-to-head record over Federer, having won four of their seven meetings.
Federer was once docked a point during a match with Zverev, in one of their particularly explosive meetings.
