Shanghai gives glimpse of players to watch in 2020

In 2019, for the third consecutive year, no man outside of the Big 3 captured a Grand Slam title. The oft-repeated summarizing stat is that no man still in his 20s has a Slam to his name.

So something's got to give eventually, doesn't it?

It's unclear when the transition to a new guard will take place, but Shanghai provided an excellent preview of what could be to come on the men's tour. The top two seeds, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, were taken out by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, respectively. And Daniil Medvedev, the '90s baby who's come the closest breaking through on the Grand Slam stage, won the Shanghai championship to take back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 crowns.

All four Shanghai semifinalists have proven that they'll be players to watch in 2020 as they try to take the place of the current champions. Here are their recent highlights:

1

Daniil Medvedev

Age: 23

Race to London: No. 3

This past summer was the Summer of Medvedev, and his success has continued into the fall. Medvedev has won four titles in 2019, at the Sofia Open, Cincinnati Masters, St. Petersburg Open and, most recently, at the Shanghai Masters. He's also been a runner-up at five tournaments this year, including the Rogers Cup and the US Open, where he took Rafael Nadal to five sets.

2

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Age: 21

Race to London: No. 6

Tsitsipas made his biggest impact at the year's first two Slams, ousting Roger Federer in Australia and taking Stan Wawrinka the five-set, five-hour distance at Roland Garros. He also won two ATP 250s, in Marseille and Estoril, and reached three other finals, the biggest being in Madrid.

3

Alexander Zverev

Age: 22

Race to London: No. 7

Until last week, 2019 had been a lackluster year—by his standards—for the defending ATP Finals champion, with his only big finishes being a 250-level title and a 500-level final. In Shanghai, though, Zverev showed that his season isn't over yet, with a quarterfinal victory over Federer and a run to the Masters final. In 2017 and 2018, Zverev won three Masters 1000 titles, plus the ATP Finals.

4

Matteo Berrettini

Age: 23

Race to London: No. 8

With one of the biggest breakouts of 2019, Berrettini has brought his ranking from No. 54 to No. 11 so far. He's won two titles and made an additional final, and most notably he made the semifinals of the US Open. In Shanghai, Berrettini beat four straight Top-40 players, including Dominic Thiem, to make the semifinals there, too.

Beyond those names, plenty of other previously unproven players have stepped up in 2019. Thiem, ranked No. 5, won four titles, including Indian Wells, where he defeated Federer in the final. He also beat Medvedev and Tsitsipas in the Barcelona and Beijing finals, and reached the Roland Garros final for the second year in a row.

Additionally, Alex de Minaur won his first three titles this year, and 19-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime made three different finals.