Alexander Zverev plays his opening match at the ATP finals. SPOX accompanies the match against Marin Cilic now here in the LIVE ticker.
This article is continuously updated.
0:0 With his first ace, Cilic comes into play, but also the next first serve (25 percent) becomes a mistake – so lucky that Zverev acts too passive and Cilic leaves the 30:30.
0:0 Cilic’s first serve is very stuck at the beginning, which Zverev can only use with a crisp return to 0:15 and then on the backhand of the Croat to 0:30.
0:0 Cilic won the election and decided for the first serve – off we go in London!
Chair Umpire: And of course this game also has a referee: The American Ali Nili will take over this job soon.
Procedure: Sooooo! Our players are now on the court, the coin toss and the hitting follow immediately – and then it can already start!
Head 2 Head: By the way, the direct comparison between Zverev and Cilic looks extremely clear: Of six duels, the Croatian won just one and that was the very first meeting with the German in Washington in 2015 – since then Zverev has quasi won Cilics number and thus five games in a row (5:1 victories for the German).
Cilic 2018: Apart from the final in Melbourne (five-set defeat to Federer), Cilic 2018 also won the tournament in London’s Queens district and reached two Masters semi-finals (Cincinnati, Rome) – so his qualification for this year-end tournament was never really up for grabs.
Cilic: And what at first glance sounds a bit brash and self-confident is highly deserved in the case of Cilic. Not only did he win his first Masters tournament last year (Cincinnati/Hardcourt), but he has also recently reached two Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon ’17, Australia ’18) and can rightly feel like one of the best players of the last 18 months. But the Croatian is also a player who seldom misses out – like last year, for example, when he failed a total of four times against players outside the Top120 (!).
Cilic: But as we all know, flooring often has absolutely nothing to do with the general class of a player. I feel much better at the start of this season than in the years before”, said Cilic during his appearance in Monaco. ”And then you look at the draw and you’re set on two, that’s a completely different feeling. “I feel like I can win every tournament I play.
Cilic in London: Cilic himself was even less lucky than Zverev at this tournament: Three times the Croatian was already here in London, but could only win one (!!) of a total of nine group games – indoor tennis is obviously not Cilics Fortune.
Head 2 Head: It’s also wonderful that Zverev beat Cilic in his first appearance at the ATP Finals last year – but only in the third and meaningless group game (both were 0:2 victories).
Never again without Ivan: And after his coach Ivan Lendl had to watch Zverev from his couch at home while playing golf, the naturalized American has joined the team again – which Zverev appreciates very much, as he told the Aargauer Zeitung. I have chosen him to improve my game and hopefully win the biggest tournaments in the world at some point. My father and Ivan know each other very well. The cooperation works perfectly”, to add to his enthusiasm: ”We are still on our honeymoon. “Everything’s wonderful.
Zverev 2018: Despite all the disappointment about the youngster’s recent difficulties, it’s important not to forget how outstanding the first half of his 2018 season was: Three tournament victories (Madrid Masters, Munich, Washington), two Masters finals (Miami, Rome) and fifth place in the world ranking (just like in the Race to London) speak volumes – the German has established himself among the world’s top players and (with the exception of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) actually goes against every other top 100 player as a favorite in a match.
Zverev: And even if you would like to give Alexander Zverev a good chance of reaching the semi-finals because he is nominally the second strongest player in this group – anything can happen here. Since the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Zverev has only reached the 4th round (semi-final Shanghai) at one tournament and lost against much weaker opponents like Malek Jaziri (MAR/61st of the world), Philipp Kohlschreiber (34) or Robin Haase (NED/55) on the way – and can therefore consider himself lucky to be qualified for the season final of the best eight players in London.