Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were drawn in the same group at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin, meaning they will meet in the round-robin stage.
Zverev was often called the leader of the new generation in his early 20s, as he was the player who could challenge the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
However, he's now 27, and he has yet to win a Grand Slam title, and there are already new leaders, such as Alcaraz, who has four majors to his name at 21 years of age.
Although the two are only six years apart, this 'clash of generations' will happen at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin. Ironically, at 27, Zverev is the oldest player in his group and the second-oldest player at the ATP Finals, just after Daniil Medvedev.
The German player is coming into the tournament in the best possible form. He won the Paris Masters, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune along the way.
Alcaraz, on the other hand, lost already in the third round of the Paris Masters, and as a result, he lost his World No. 2 rank to none other than Zverev himself.
Now, he can make a big step towards regaining that World No. 2 rank, as his win over Zverev in the round-robin stage might contribute to the German's elimination.
This will be already 11th meeting between the two. Early on, Zverev was the better player, as the Spaniard lacked experienced. The 27-year-old beat him in Acapulco and Vienna in 2021, and even though he lost to him in Madrid in 2022, he then beat him at the French Open.
In the first four matches, Zverev led the H2H 3-1, but Alcaraz quickly turned that around. He beat the German player at the Madrid Open and the US Open in 2023 but lost to him in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals.
Finally enough, both had two wins in the group, as did Daniil Medvedev, but it was Alcaraz and Medvedev who made it out of the round-robin stage.
This year, Zverev won against Alcaraz at the Australian Open, but then he lost to him in Indian Wells, and the 21-year-old also handed Zverev one of the most painful losses of his career, as he bested him in the French Open final.
| Alexander Zverev | Carlos Alcaraz | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | H2H | 5 |
| 2 | Rank | 3 |
| 27 | Age | 21 |
| 66-20 | 2024 W/L | 52-11 |
| 460-197 | Career W/L | 207-54 |
It will certainly be an interesting match between these two. While Zverev is a two-time champion at the ATP Finals and is coming off the Paris Masters win, Alcaraz's struggles on the indoor hard courts are well documented.
Overall, the Spaniard is the better player, as the Grand Slam count suggests, but he won't win this match easily. Still, he should be able to win it, even if it should be in three sets.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.