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Germany's Zverev beat Djokovic en route to gold at the Tokyo
Olympics and then ended the year by winning the ATP Finals title
for the second time.
Djokovic won three of the year's Grand Slam titles but his old
rivals Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer failed to add to their
collections with the trio tied on 20 majors each.
World number two Medvedev beat Djokovic in the U.S. Open final
while Zverev also reached two Grand Slam semis this year.
Heading into the new season Federer, 40, is still recovering
from knee surgery while Nadal, 35, is in the early stages of his
comeback from a foot injury.
"I think next year could be very similar to the last six months
from this year," Zverev, named German Sportsman of the Year this
week, told Eurosport Germany's Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
"Before, there used to be always talk about Nadal, Federer and
Djokovic -- now the big titles were the Olympics, U.S. Open,
Turin (ATP Finals) and Wimbledon, and they were all won by
Medvedev, Djokovic and me. I don't expect it to be any different
next year."
Zverev ended the year ranked three and believes the number one
spot is a viable target.
"I know I'm not far away from it, but for that I also have to
win tournaments and Grand Slams," he said.
Theoretically, the 24-year-old Zverev could become number one if
he wins the Australian Open and Djokovic misses the tournament
because of its COVID-19 vaccine stance.
"The situation with Novak and Australia is still a big question
mark," he said. "Of course, I hope that he will be allowed to
play, that's very clear.
"There are thousands of mathematical calculations, if he doesn't
play Australia and I win the Australian Open, then I'm number
one in the world and so on and so forth.
"At the end of the day, now is not the time to think about
(being number one), not is the time to prepare as best as you
can so you're physically able to play for it."
Zverev's failure to capture a Grand Slam has surprised some, but
he is now a consistent threat at the biggest events after
initially struggling to show his best at them.
"I've become much calmer. I'm also getting older. I'm not 18 or
19 anymore. I understand maybe a bit more things about life and
understand that you just have to keep calm in important
situations," he said. "That has had its effect on me this year."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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