According to Hopman Cup director Paul Kilderry, World No. 4 Alexander Zverev could succeed 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer as the next superstar of the men’s game.
Calling Zverev the natural successor to the Swiss legend, Kilderry said that he wasn’t alone in predicting the rise of the German to the ivy league of tennis. In fact, the Australian revealed that a lot of people were talking about Zverev being the one who will eventually replace the former World No. 1 as the biggest name on the ATP tour.
Zverev, enjoyed a highly successful season in 2017, winning five titles, including two Masters trophies. While he won the Rome Open crown over the Serbinator Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old managed to outclass Federer in the final of the Montreal Masters.
Federer, on the other hand, extended his Grand Slam record to 19 after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017.
With the Australian Open starting in a fortnight, both Federer and Zverev will kickstart their new season by taking part in the Hopman Cup, which will begin in the Western Australian city of Perth on Saturday.
“I think people in tennis see Zverev as the heir apparent to Roger,” Kilderry said.
“It’s great to have him back.
“This year I noticed a lot of agents reaching out, with a lot of their players wanting to play.
“I think having Roger (Federer) here last year and him going on to win the Australian Open was really great for the event.”
Kilderry added that he was thrilled to have some of the best players participating in the tournament in 2018 as well: “I think we’ve probably got one of the strongest fields ever.
“To have four of the top eight players in the world in the men’s game to be here, along with Angelique Kerber, Coco Vandeweghe and Dasha (Gavrilova) coming back along with (Thanasi) Kokkinakis (for Australia).
“So many great players.”
