Alexander Zverev capped off an amazing season with wins over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev to clinch his second Nitto ATP Finals title.
The 24-year-old German reached at least the round of 16 at all four Grand Slam events this year. He also won two ATP 500 tournaments, claimed the Mutua Madrid Open and Western & Southern Open Masters 1000 titles, and shined at the Tokyo Olympics en route to capturing the gold medal. Zverev finished the year with the most singles titles (6) on the ATP Tour.
It wasn’t an ideal start to the tournament for Zverev, as his first opponent, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, was forced to retire from the match with a left oblique injury. Zverev then dropped his second match to defending champion Medvedev in a captivating 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(6) match.
In his final group stage match, Zverev soared past Hubert Hurkacz and used that momentum heading into his semi-final match with Djokovic. It took all three sets, but Zverev managed to oust the World No. 1 to clinch his second final appearance at the ATP Finals.
In the finals, Zverev put on a clinic against Medvedev, keeping 80 per cent of first serves in play and winning 84 per cent of those points. The defending champion didn’t even get a single break point opportunity.
The championship match was the 12th meeting between Zverev and Medvedev. Fittingly, the two superstars are now tied at six wins apiece. One of those Zverev wins was at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in 2018. Perhaps, in 2022, tennis fans will get to see a rematch on Canadian soil as the ATP returns to Montreal.
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