Four years ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas made a lofty claim about himself and included his peers Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in it as well. The Greek felt that the trio could be the successors to the “Big 3”: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Fast forward to now, they’ve all lost in the first round of Wimbledon 2025.
Tsitsipas’ campaign came to an end due to an injury. After losing the first two sets against qualifier Valentin Royer, he didn’t have enough left in the tank to continue. Medvedev was the first top 10 player to lose on the very first day of the tournament, going down in four sets against Benjamin Bonzi.
Zverev’s match against Arthur Rinderknech stretched over two days. He rallied from a set down to level the score on Monday (June 30) before the curfew kicked in. Their showdown resumed the next day, with the German losing the match in five sets.
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When Tsitsipas made his bold prediction in an interview with Sport Bild in 2021, the three were the tour's shiny new stars. Federer was sidelined due to an injury, and Nadal didn't win a Major that year. However, Djokovic swept three of the four Majors, with Medvedev stopping him from completing the Calendar Year Grand Slam in the US Open final. He thus felt that the time was ripe for a takeover from the next generation.
"Currently there is only one big player: Novak Djokovic. He's still the best in the world. But Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and I come right behind. We can become the next big three," Tsitsipas said.
Tsitsipas, Medvedev, and Zverev did perform consistently until 2024, though they hold only one Major title between the three of them. They did win multiple Masters 1000 titles, and each of them has triumphed at the ATP Finals at least once.
However, their decline over the past few months cannot be ignored. Zverev is the only one firmly embedded in the top 10, while the other two have dropped in and out of the region this year. It will take a lot of hard work for them to re-enter the top 10 after their Wimbledon setback.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev fail to impress at Wimbledon yet again
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev's woes at Wimbledon continued with yet another disappointing result. Neither player has advanced beyond the fourth round of the grass-court Major. Both were keen to change that this year, but will now have to deal with the disappointment of a first-round exit.
Daniil Medvedev made the semifinals here for the past two years, so his early exit was quite surprising. He also extended his losing streak to three matches at the Majors. Before his latest defeat, he had previously lost in the first round of the French Open and the second round of the Australian Open.
The trio will be eager to redeem themselves at the US Open. Medvedev won his only Major title in New York, while Zverev was the runner-up in 2020. Tsitsipas hasn't crossed the third round there so far, making it his worst Major in terms of results.
