Alexander Zverev has qualified for the second time in a row for the season finale of the eight best tennis pros. However, the young star travelled to the prestigious tournament in London with worries – unlike two favorite veterans.
Actually, Alexander Zverev should be in Milan at the moment, in the circle of his contemporaries. He should advertise there for the future, for the time after the superstars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. By the way, he should also play for the title of the world’s best young professional. But Zverev is not in Milan, he is ahead of his time. Still.
For the second time in a row, the Hamburg-born player will instead play at the season finale in London, where the best of the tennis tour will choose their best starting Sunday. At the age of 21, Zverev has long since belonged to the elite of his guild. Even though not everything went according to plan this season and the sensational defeats at the Grand Slams Zverev annoyed him, he says: “2018 is my best year so far”.
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Zverev has won three titles since January, including the ATP Masters in Madrid. He reached the semi-finals five times in the prestigious tournaments of this category, so the points for London he had despite the disappointments in Melbourne, Wimbledon and New York quickly together. “I really wanted to show that it was no coincidence what I had achieved the year before,” he said in an interview with Berliner Zeitung and Münchner Merkur. He succeeded.
Only as third German after the former champions Boris Becker and Michael Stich Zverev takes part for the second time in the final tournament of the eight best of the year. Nicolas Kiefer (1999) and Rainer Schüttler (2003) only played once, but reached the semi-finals. That would already be a success for Zverev, as he seems to be running out of strength again on the home straight of the season. At its premiere in 2017 year Zverev was eliminated in London in the preliminary round.
At the Masters in Paris his shoulder pinched last, the clap (1:6, 2:6) against the later winner Karen Khachanov hurt Zverev therefore hardly. It would be worse if the injury were to also affect him in London, then his chances in the so-called Guga-Kuerten Group would drop rapidly. “I’m fine, but I’m tired like all the top players,” he said right before the start of the tournament. From Monday, Zverev will face John Isner (USA), Marin Cilic (Croatia) and top favourite Novak Djokovic (Serbia).
The world number one comes to London in top form, even though his winning streak ended in the Paris final. Djokovic (31) is reaching for his sixth title, with which he would equalize the record of the Swiss Roger Federer. Federer (37) himself, in the absence of the injured Spaniard Rafael Nadal, probably has the best chance of preventing this. From Sunday he will play in the Lleyton-Hewitt Group against the South African Kevin Anderson (South Africa) as well as Dominic Thiem and Kei Nishikori.
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The Austrian (25) and the Japanese (28) are the only players in London besides Zverev who still have their 30th birthday ahead of them. This alone illustrates the development of the Hamburg native in recent years. The so-called NextGen, who is playing her champion in Milan, outgrown Zverev early.