Flashback: 10 years since Zverev's first Challenger title

A tall, thin teenager by the name of Alexander Zverev stepped onto home soil at the 2014 Braunschweig Challenger. Crushing hefty first serves and blistering the ball with his two-handed backhand, the German earned a career-igniting victory in front of a packed crowd.

The 17-year-old with wavy, blonde hair lifted his first ATP Challenger Tour title that July afternoon, 10 years ago Friday.

Then-ranked No. 665 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zverev had just one ATP Challenger Tour main-draw win under his belt entering Braunschweig. Tennis fans were becoming more familiar with Zverev that year, when in January the teen won the Australian Open boys’ singles title.

A wild card competing 200 kilometres from his hometown Hamburg, Zverev went on a dream run on the red clay of Braunschweig. A decade later, Zverev’s first title at that level is still etched in a piece of Challenger history. Zverev is the third-youngest Challenger champion since 2010. Only Felix Auger-Aliassime has claimed a title at a younger age in that time period.

Youngest ATP Challenger Tour champions since 2010

Zverev defeated three Top 100 players en route to the Challenger 125 crown, including a final victory against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu. It was a launching pad for the home hope who has since ascended as high as World No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The two-time major finalist made quick progress on the ATP Challenger Tour and enjoyed early success on the ATP Tour. Two weeks after winning in Braunschweig, Zverev earned his maiden tour-level match win in Hamburg. He did not stop there. The wild card reached the semi-finals, falling to David Ferrer.

Zverev cracked the Top 100 for the first time in May 2015 following a title run at the Heilbronn Challenger. The German played just one more event at that level.

Now with 22 tour-level titles in his trophy cabinet, which includes two Nitto ATP Finals and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medal, Zverev has earned more than $43 million in prize money in his standout career that featured one of its first shining moments 10 years ago.

This is what the ATP Challenger Tour prides itself in, serving as a building block for young players testing their game against the world’s best. And you never know when the player in front of your eyes is headed from outside the Top 500 to a single-digit ranking next to his name.

Did You Know?
The Braunschweig Challenger is celebrating its 30th anniversary next week. Past winners include Gaston Gaudio, current ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, Tomas Berdych, Jan-Lennard Struff and Zverev.

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