Australian Open 2019: 5 Players to watch out for

# 2 Alexander Zverev

2019 Australian Open - Previews

Alexander Zverev has been touted as the next big thing like Dominic Thiem, but the German hasn’t lived up to his billing so far. The German seemingly needs some more time to develop the temperament needed to excel in Grand Slams, especially in the early rounds when the German tends to get a bit nervous. Zverev also tends to get a bit erratic during pressure situations.

But 2019 could be the year which sees his rise as a legitimate star of the sport. The number 4 seed had stated that doing well in Grand Slam events will help him grow as a player, and he could well fulfill that prophecy in Melbourne.

The 22-year-old won the Madrid Masters in May last year by beating Dominic Thiem in the final, and was runner up at the Miami Masters and Rome Masters in March and May respectively. He also won the Munich event in April.

The German's biggest win of 2018 though was at the ATP Finals in London. He beat Novak Djokovic in the final of that tournament.

Zverev finished as the runner up along with Angelique Kerber in the Hopman Cup this year, losing to Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic. His rasping serves can outclass his rivals, while he has the ability to surprise his opponents with his powerful backhand too.