Alexander Zverev praised by Roger Federer for making Andy Murray decision at US Open

Zverev, 21, is one of the top rising NextGen stars who is expected to step into the shoes of Federer and Rafael Nadal when they choose to retire.

The towering youngster has won nine ATP titles but has only made it to the quarter-final of a Grand Slam on one occasion.

Zverev used to practise with his brother Mischa, ranked No 97 in the world, but has installed a new mentor over the past week.

Lendl had two spells with Murray’s team which brought varied success – although he did help the Brit to his second Wimbledon title and an incredible run of 52 wins from 55 matches in 2016.

But the coach is now with Zverev and hoping to take his undoubted talent to the next level by challenging for major honours.

And Federer thinks the new alliance could work out – although he believes Zverev would still get to the very top on his own.

“I feel like he’s right there, anyway,” Federer said.

“So I think adding or not adding anybody can make or not make a difference, you know.

“He knows what it takes to beat the best. He knows what it takes to win tournaments, to win titles.

“It’s not like he’s had a block at some stage. He’s been struggling at Slams maybe a little bit, sure, but he’s still young, so time is on his side.

“Maybe Ivan can inject some wisdom and knowledge to pass that hurdle, you know.

“Maybe it’s an outside voice that the team needs, I’m not sure. So I think it’s going to be interesting to just see how they work.

“I don’t know Ivan, to be honest, very well myself. But he seemed to have good success, yeah, with Andy exactly, and time will tell.

“I’m a big believer in Sascha, and I know him very well. I think he’s going to be incredibly successful regardless if Ivan is there or not.”

Zverev gets his US Open campaign underway against Peter Polansky this evening, while Federer also kicks off his title challenge against Yoshihito Nishioka at midnight (BST).