Picture Credit: Twitter
World number three Alexander Zverev beat the top-two ranked players in consecutive matches to earn his second title at the ATP Finals. After eliminating world number 1 and 20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic over three sets in the semifinal, Zverev was in sublime form in the final on Sunday, beating world No 2 Daniil Medvedev in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
If his form is anything to go by, one can expect a lot from the German player in 2022. The title ends what has been a great year for Zverev which also saw him win the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He also has more wins on tour than anyone else. However, the only thing which seems to be missing from his trophy cabinet is the Grand Slam title which could be round the corner for the 24-year-old.
"It was great," Zverev said after the titular clash.
"I won the World Tour Finals in the final against a player I lost five times to in a row so I had to play one of my best matches. I’m happy about that, happy to be going on holidays with this win. There’s no better way to end the season than winning here. I’m obviously incredibly happy but I’m also very much looking forward to next year already," he added.
CHAMPION IN TURIN:
For those who have not been able to follow the turn of events, the final was in fact a rematch of the round-robin played earlier on last Tuesday where the Russian had had the last laugh over Zverev. But in the final, the German tennis ace was dominant from the beginning, he broke Medvedev's serve in only the third game of the match and was almost unbeatable off his own serve.
Zverev won 20 of the 25 points in the first set and backed it up by breaking again in the first game of the second set which did a world of good to his confidence as was evident from his game and he started playing more freely.
In the doubles category, it was Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut who emerged as the winners by beating Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 7-6.