After Carlos Alcaraz's defeat against Casper Ruud in the first match of the 'John Newcombe group', there was great anticipation for Alexander Zverev's debut at the ATP Finals. The German champion who won this tournament in 2018 in London and in 2021 in Turin beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets thanks to a very solid performance from start to finish.
Although the surface is slower than last year, the world No. 2 used his serve very well and didn't give the Russian ace any chances. Due to the precarious physical condition of Alcaraz who has the flu and stopped his practice session after just ten minutes today Sascha has now become the second favourite to lift the trophy behind Jannik Sinner.
The champion from Hamburg will face Ruud on Wednesday and hopes to already mathematically qualify for the semifinals. Alexander wants to end his 2024 with a great result, which would allow him to gain confidence ahead of next season. Unlike other players, Sascha chose not to play the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this year. The current world No. 2 wants to recover his energy and prepare well for 2025, which will begin for him at the United Cup before the Australian Open.
Zverev can improve
Zverev can be happy with his performance in the match against Rublev, in which he never gave the feeling of being in trouble. Sascha is aware that he has to raise his level as the days go by to lift the trophy on Sunday. Andrey is someone who is one of the most aggressive players on tour so when youre not quite there the match can go opposite very quickly the German said in an interview with Sky Sports Tennis. I was happy with my game and I can improve on a few things that I can do better. I missed too many balls from the baseline, I feel like maybe I wasnt as sharp movement-wise as Id like to be and as I was in Paris as well. But, its the first match and I beat a top 10 player four and four so theres not too much to moan about he added.
The last two months have not been easy for Alexander, who was diagnosed with pneumonia after the Laver Cup in Berlin. Sascha had to miss the ATP 500 in Beijing, while in Shanghai and Vienna he was not at his best. The fruits of his hard work were evident at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he won the seventh Masters 1000 of his career thanks to an ideal surface for his game. Zverev is improving his game and inserting new weapons to surprise his opponents. He admitted that he is practicing a lot in recent weeks and that he wants to be ready for the 2025 Australian Open, in which he will finally try to lift his first Major trophy.
HenmanonZverevsperformance
Former ATP ace Tim Henman commented on Zverevs performance against Rublev in Turin: First class performance. Youre coming in against one of the top eight players in the world and he was so efficient. All aspects of Zverevs game were firing on all cylinders. His first serve was absolutely massive, the consistency was there, and he soaked up Rublevs biggest shots from the back of the court. He did drop back seven, eight feet behind the baseline and then its virtually impossible to hit through him because he moves well and hes got such a huge wingspan. I thought Zverev was very impressive and it lays down an early marker.
Despite being world No.2, Sascha can play the ATP Finals without too much pressure. The eyes of the whole world are all focused on Sinner and Alcaraz, who won the four Grand Slam tournaments played this year. Their rivalry has become the new focus of the men's tour and everyone hopes to see a final between these two young champions.
I think the attention went to Carlos and Jannik all year long, Zverev said during his press conference. They deserve it, they won two Grand Slams each. Its normal in sports, at some point everybody retires, new players come along. We have a great group of guys leading with Jannik and Carlos. I think they had a better year, even though Im No. 2 in the world. The benchmark is those two guys.
The scenario has become unpredictable due to Alcarazs shocking loss, who could even withdraw from the tournament if his health condition does not improve soon. Sinner - on the other hand - defeated de Minaur in his debut and will now face Taylor Fritz.
