There are no easy tasks in London: Alexander Zverev will face Roger Federer, Marin Cilic and Jack Sock at the ATP finals. Dominic Thiem is dealing with Rafael Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin.
The third in the world ranking Alexander Zverev won it at the ATP World Championships in London (12. till 19. November) in the Boris-Becker Group with world number two Roger Federer, the Croatian Marin Cilic and the American Jack Sock. This was the result of the draw in London, which Boris Becker personally held on Wednesday.
The Pete Sampras group includes world number one Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria and David Goffin. For Dimitrov and Goffin it is the premiere appearance at the end of the season, as for Zverev and Sock. Last year’s winner Andy Murray is due to persistent hip problems in rehab and is therefore unable to defend his title.
Thiem played Rafael Nadal four times this year in a very short period of time – always on ashes: In Barcelona, Madrid and at the French Open the Spaniard kept the upper hand, in Rome he won the Austrian number one. Dimitrov’s 2017 result is balanced against Dimitrov: Thiem won a close match in Madrid and Dimitrov won at the start of the year in Brisbane. Dominic Thiem played against David Goffin only once this season, the Belgian won the meeting at the Australian Open. In Paris, it was almost revenge, but Goffin injured himself in his third round match against Horacio Zeballos.
Alexander Zverev last defeated Roger Federer in Montréal in the finals, while the Swiss player won the Gerry Weber Open in Halle/Westphalia. Against Cilic, Zverev leads 3-1 on the internal balance sheet, the only meeting in 2017 was won by the Hamburg native on sand in Madrid. Against Sock there was no match on the ATP tour in 2017, last year there was a victory and a defeat for Zverev.
The matches of the Pete Sampras Group start on Sunday, and the Boris-Becker Group will take place on Monday. Zverev has been the first German in the season finale since Rainer Schüttler in 2003. German victories were achieved at the tournament, which has been held since 1970, by Boris Becker (1988,1992,1995) and Michael Stich (1993).
Dominic Thiem had already started in London last year, winning his first round match against Gael Monfils.