India, June 8 -- For the better part of a decade, Alexander Zverev carried a burden that was never truly his to bear. And perhaps a part of him knew there was no escaping it, not after his rapid rise through the rankings and the succession of victories that branded him the prince promised.

In 2016, he took down Roger Federer in three sets on grass at Halle. A year later, he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets at the Australian Open, where he even led two sets to one in their third-round clash. Months later, he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final at the Foro Italico and then beat Federer again, this time in the Canadian Open final.

At 20, Zverev had raised the question that had long lingered over men's tennis: was he the one destined to fo...