Alexander Zverev is preparing to play in his sixth ATP Finals after missing out last year due to an ankle injury.
Zverev has done extraordinary work to get himself match-fit after a gruesome injury last year and to finish the season in the Top 8 this season. Zverev is one of only two double champions of the ATP Finals. You could be in for a surprise if you wrote off his chances before a ball was struck for this year's edition. Here's why.
5. One Of The Best Serve Rating
According to data from the ATP, Zverev boasts a serve rating of 285.2 on hard courts in the past 52 weeks and is inside the Top 10. Serve rating in this case implies the mean aggregate of serve components, like the percentage of points won behind first and second serves, average aces, and double faults per match.
In comparison to the field in Turin, only Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have a better serve rating. Clearly, Zverev's biggest asset gives him a humongous chance of making an imprint at the tournament.
4. Former Champion
It goes without saying that having been there and done it multiple times, Zverev has the recipe for success at the ATP Finals. His fondest memories in tennis have come at the season-ending championships. While he has been intermittently brilliant this season, could he be savoring his best tennis right at the last? You'd have to believe so.
3. Only Player To Have Beaten Tournament Favorite Djokovic At ATP Finals
At this moment in time, Novak Djokovic is the overwhelming favorite to win the ATP Finals for the seventh time. But would he fancy a matchup against Alexander Zverev knowing his past mishaps against the German? Possibly not.
Zverev is the only player in the field who has beaten Djokovic at the ATP Finals. Beating the Serbian has proven to be a good omen. He won the title both times (2018 and 2021).
2. Open Round-Robin Group
On paper, Zverev appears to have landed in a more balanced and open group where chances of qualification could be split equally for all four players. Zverev will play Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. These are not easy matches, but he has beaten them before and is vastly the more experienced man in the group.
1. Restored Confidence & Fitness
When the season started, it was unthinkable to imagine Zverev playing at the ATP Finals at the end of an 11-month slog. There were embarrassing defeats in the season's first quarter like losing to Michael Mmoh at the Australian Open and Marc-Andrea Huesler at the Davis Cup.
But it was in March in a match against Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells that helped restore his confidence. Zverev battled hard and despite losing in three punishing sets, it helped build the foundation for the rest of the year. Zverev has since beaten the Russian and Jannik Sinner in the past few months to signal he has got his mojo back.
