Zverev chats Top 20 milestone, older brother's rise

When the new rankings rolled out on Monday, Alexander Zverev became the youngest player inside the Top 20. The ATP caught up with the 19-year-old in Stockholm for a quick chat as he’s poised to become the first teen since 2006 to end the year amidst the best 20 players on the planet.

"A lot of young guys are doing very well. I won my first tournament in St. Petersburg, [Karen] Khachanov won the next week in Chengdu..." Zverev said. "So there’s a lot of guys who are playing great tennis right now."

This time last year, Zverev was ranked No. 83. The lanky 6’6” German has come a long, long way since then.

Last week, he beat John Isner and Marin Cilic before falling to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the round of 16, and his older brother Mischa went all the way to the quarterfinals as a qualifier (upsetting Nick Kyrgios in the now-infamous tanking incident).

"My brother is back in the Top 100. He’s around [No. 68] I think," Zverev said. "We both did quite well in Shanghai."

This week will be the last time you see the younger Zverev on court in 2016 as he gets set for a long off-season of training, building up his strength for the 2017 season ahead.

"It was actually my teams’ decision a lot,” he said. "(My trainer) Jez Green wants to do two months of off season with me again so for next year I’m perfectly prepared..."

Seeded fourth in Stockholm, Zverev defeated Adrian Mannarino in his opening round.