Has Zverev peaked?

[onefineday]

We can't assume that every player is going to follow the big 3's longevity. Or that the new prime is 28-32. That actually was not the big 3's prime at all. We can't just say that because the Big 3 were so successful in late twenties and early thirties, that's the new prime. That's just what happened to the Big 3. We haven't actually had a bunch of 28+ year olds coming along with no slams and then dominate. And while other players-Lopez, Murray, Monfils- have extended their careers, they haven't necessarily done so maintaining the success of their peak. They've just done better than guys their age in the past for reasons we all know.
I feel we are still waiting for Zverev to peak. Not just him. Rublev. Medvedev. Shapovalov. I don't count FAA, Sinner in Zverev's group. And then I ask myself- maybe they already peaked. Thiem is a great example here. He's the leader of that pack, if slightly older. Look what happened to him. These guys might already be worn out by the grind.
Zverev is 25 this year. He's a year and a half off his one slam final. He's come off a solid six months with disappointing recent results. Medvedev looked like a shadow after his AO final and talked about quitting by 30. Rublev fell off a year ago. Shapo never really got going.
I am seriously wondering if these guys already peaked and will go the way of many players before them. Dropping off around 26. I wonder if they will get surpassed by FAA, Alcaraz, Sinner in a year or two. Until then, we might just get Djokovic, Nadal and maybe even some randoms winning slams. I am not saying they are FINNISHED. Just that the peak we are waiting for might have already passed.

 

[I Am Finnish]

He has yet to peak

 

[Krish0608]

Let's hope so. #ABZ

 

[D.Nalby12]

Yes but it doesn't matter.

 

[tennis4me]

He has plateaued.

 

[Nostradamus]

very similar to berdych, great player but not good enough to win a major

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I don't think so.

 

[DSH]

This season should be his peak.
We will see if he can compete against the best in five sets.
I honestly don't think he will reach a RG or Wimbledon final in his career, but in the short term, he should be one of the candidates to win a couple of Majors on hard court.

 

[Tennis_Freak99]

How the F did Djokovic lose to this MUG at the Olympics? More I think of it, Djok choked that one

 

[Steffi-forever]

How the F did Djokovic lose to this MUG at the Olympics? More I think of it, Djok choked that one

Djokovic has always struggled at the Olympics, plus the pressure of the GGS. That lost ****ed up his momentum. I still believe he shouldn’t have competed there.

 

[zuluzazu]

How the F did Djokovic lose to this MUG at the Olympics? More I think of it, Djok choked that one

Djokovic has a weird record of losing some important matches to unexpected rivals like Murray, Stan, Med and Zed in Olympics and GSs

 

[TheNachoMan]

He probably won’t have great longevity because he’s such a giant.

 

[Deleted member 788697]

Zverev is better than Djokovic in best-of-3-sets, so I hope he's peaked, or the rest of the field is in deep trouble....

 

[TheNachoMan]

Zverev is better than Djokovic in best-of-3-sets

37 > 5 and 5 > 2, bud.

 

[BeatlesFan]

He probably won’t have great longevity because he’s such a giant.

Remember he's the same height as Meddy. But Med is at least 15 pounds thinner and doesn't post endlessly narcissistic photos of himself pumping iron at the gym...

 

[Kralingen]

 

[Deleted member 629564]

Anyway Zverev is still a leader of the Next Gen.

ATP tournament finals W - L

Zverev 19 - 10 (66%)
Thiem 17 - 11 (61%)
Medvedev 13 - 10 (56%)
Rublev 8 - 5 (62%)
Tsitsipas 7 - 10 (41%)
Ruud 6 - 2 (75%)
Berrettini 5 - 7 (42%)
Sinner 5 - 1 (83%)
Khachanov 4 - 2 (67%)
Hurkacz 4 - 0 (100%)
Shapovalov 1 - 3 (25%)
Auger-Aliassime 0 - 8 (0%)

 

[The Fedfather]

His baseline game probably won't get better than the highs of last year. With that plus the killer 1st serve, Zverev on HC has the potential to be a serious contender vs any opponent (current field) in a single match, it's also why he's had some great hot-streak runs. So his base game has probably peaked, yes. But then there's a whole area of play that he is capable of improving, IMO. Right now the lack of variety in Zverev's game, underdeveloped net and point construction skills leave him overly reliant on his A-game, which combined with Zerev's mental fragility creates a perfect storm of randomly failing under pressure.

Save for injury, Zverev probably has 2 years of his baseline peak left and the missile serve should stay, so if Sasha works more on his variety and mentality - and the former should have a positive effect on the latter - we might see a better version of Zverev.

 

[Deleted member 788697]

37 > 5 and 5 > 2, bud.

But Zverev is better than Djokovic currently in best-of-3 sets, we saw it at the Olympics and ATP Finals.
Not far off in best-of-5-sets too as their US Open meeting went 5 sets

 

[Lleytonstation]

Just waiting for MoDeRn MeDiCiNe age.

 

[puppybutts]

physically yes. tennis wise...yes, though his volleys have gotten considerably better over the years. mentally no.

 

[smalahove]

His baseline game probably won't get better than the highs of last year. With that plus the killer 1st serve, Zverev on HC has the potential to be a serious contender vs any opponent (current field) in a single match, it's also why he's had some great hot-streak runs. So his base game has probably peaked, yes. But then there's a whole area of play that he is capable of improving, IMO. Right now the lack of variety in Zverev's game, underdeveloped net and point construction skills leave him overly reliant on his A-game, which combined with Zerev's mental fragility creates a perfect storm of randomly failing under pressure.

Save for injury, Zverev probably has 2 years of his baseline peak left and the missile serve should stay, so if Sasha works more on his variety and mentality - and the former should have a positive effect on the latter - we might see a better version of Zverev.

The way he struggled today against Bublik, esp handling deep slice returns, really makes me doubt he can reach that #1 position. He’s solid from the baseline against a predictable type of player, but he is easily rattled and has average mental strength.

 

[The Fedfather]

The way he struggled today against Bublik, esp handling deep slice returns, really makes me doubt he can reach that #1 position. He’s solid from the baseline against a predictable type of player, but he is easily rattled and has average mental strength.

Yes, he's neither the smartest nor mentally toughest on the court so if things aren't going well it can be a downward spiral.

I still have a bit of faith in Zverev somehow getting it together mentally in Slams this year and seeing where that can take him, but the start of the season sure does not look promising for the self-anointed member of the new Big 3.

 

[Rosstour]

I think he might have a late-career resurgence when others have passed him by. But I do think he has more or less flatlined so I voted "yes". He's really got to worry about Shapo, FAA, Alcaraz not to mention Djok and Nadal.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Anyway Zverev is still a leader of the Next Gen.

Like saying Moe was the leader The Three Stooges. How low is your ceiling?