Here's an interesting fact from a recent Fox Sports article about the men's professional tennis circuit:
"No Grand Slam, Masters 1000 or Olympic tournament has ever been won by somebody born after Jan. 1, 1989."
This statistic shows how dominant Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — all at least 29 years old — have been in the past decade. From 2005 to 2012, those four won 36 of 38 Slams.
But that run is showing signs of coming to an end. Federer and Nadal have slipped in the rankings, and there are up-and-comers ready to take their spots. Heading into the 2017 season, here are some young players to watch.
Dominic Thiem (Age 23)
Three times this past year, Dominic Thiem faced Roger Federer (who won his first Grand Slam in 2003 when Thiem was just 9 years old). Thiem beat Federer twice. The Austrian Thiem is currently ranked No. 8 in the world. (In November, Federer fell outside the top 10 for the first time since 2002. Now sidelined with an injury, Federer is down to No. 16. ).
Alexander Zverev (Age 19)
In 2016, Zverev had four wins against top-10 players, including Federer, Thiem and Tomas Berdych. In September, Zverev beat Stan Wawrinka — the reigning U.S. Open men's singles cha
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Roger Federer
(1981-)
Who Is Roger Federer?
Roger Federer was among his country's top junior tennis players by age 11. He turned pro in 1998, and with his victory at Wimbledon in 2003 he became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title. Federer has won a record-setting 20 Grand Slam singles championships. In July 2017, the tennis star won a record-breaking eighth Wimbledon title, at the age of 35.
Early Life
Tennis star Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland, to Swiss father Robert Federer and South African mother Lynette Du Rand. Federer's parents met while on a business trip for a pharmaceutical company, where they both worked.
Federer took an interest in sports at an early age, playing tennis and soccer at the age of eight. By age 11, he was among the Top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland. At age 12, he decided to quit other sports and focus all his efforts on tennis, which he felt he excelled at more naturally. By 14, he was fully immersed in the game, playing two or three tournaments per month and practicing six hours a week, along with up to three hours of conditioning. To perfect his technique, he often imitated his idols, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
At age 14, Federer became the national junior champion in Switz