Despite being part of a transition period, the current week has some highlights of its own. Last weekend saw the attention being focused on the Laver Cup in Prague as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal made the headlines of a brand new exhibition tournament. From today, the action will be moving onto Asian soil with several Atp 250 events in place. The current world No. 4 Alexander Zverev, will lead the pack in Shenzhen along with David Goffin (12 ATP). The world No. 7 Dominic Thiem is expected to produce some damage in Chengdu as he was given the first seed slot.
These two ATP stars will try to add up their rankings just enough to consolidate their year-end status. Moreover, as their US Open campaign came to an early end, they would love to resume the winning feeling.
Alexander Zverev is the most improved player of the season
Aged 20, Alexander Zverev soared up the ranking at a staggering pace in 2017, amassing five ATP titles, including two Masters 1000 events (Rome and Montreal). Currently, he holds a 47-15 win/loss record and those numbers may suffer some last-minute improvements in the next few weeks. Choosing to compete in Shenzhen may be a smart choice from his side. The recent lack of official matches may bring out some rusty play now that the season is into its final chapter.
Ranked fourth in the world he could see his name moving up to the third slot in the next month. Shenzhen is just a warm-up as two bigger events stand ahead. Beijing and Shanghai are the biggest targets of the Asian leg. Moreover, the Masters 1000 event in Paris will be another stop on his radar before heading to London for the Nitto ATP Finals.
The young German did a lot of extraordinary things but there is one place where he is yet to have an impact; Grand Slams events saw him unable to deal with the pressure and the favorite status he was given.
Dominic Thiem looking for consistency outside the clay court
The second best player on clay this season, the 24-year-old Austrian tennis star has become a constant presence inside the top 10.
But, his raw power-based game has been suffering on hard court. Now, he will test his strength in Chengdu. As a first seed and given the main draw appearance, he is expected to reach the higher stages of the tournament. Holding a 46-20 win/ loss record, the Austrian player won't be alone at this ATP 250 event. Andrey Rublev, the young teenager player who has reached the quarterfinals at the 2017 US Open will also be in the main draw.
