Alexander Zverev turned the world quantity 2 because of his win on the Rolex Paris Masters final week. That outcome enabled him to keep away from world no 1 Jannik Sinner within the group stage on the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, the place the German hopes to repeat the feat he achieved in 2021. The participant from Hamburg was not notably fortunate within the draw, since he occurred in the identical group because the 4 instances Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is ready to attain harmful peaks for any opponent.
Along with Carlitos, the group devoted to John Newcombe will even embrace Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev. Sascha has the appropriate abilities to make it no less than to the semifinals and he arrives at this match with nice confidence, having simply gained his seventh Masters 1000 of his profession.
The world quantity 2 – who has practiced with Alcaraz in Turin at present – will make his debut on Monday evening towards Rublev. Zverev is in search of his third title in a very powerful occasion of the ATP calendar, having already lifted the trophy in 2018 in London and in 2021 in Turin.
A attainable success on the ATP Finals would make his season much more satisfying, though he has missed the sharp within the Grand Slam tournaments. The German reached the semi-finals on the Australian Open earlier this yr and the ultimate on the French Open in the course of the spring as his greatest outcomes.
Jimmy Arias speaks about Zverev
No matter outcome he’ll obtain on the ATP Finals, 2025 might be a really decisive yr for Sascha’s profession. Zverev must purpose for a significant title subsequent yr, a objective that may additionally enable him to strategy the primary place within the ATP rating. At 27 years previous, Alexander is named to make an additional technical and psychological enchancment to lastly enter the historical past of this sport.
In a latest interview, former Prime 10 Jimmy Arias mirrored on Zverev’s possibilities of profitable a Grand Slam title within the close to future: “Possibly he simply must do it as soon as, after which he’ll win 4 or 5 Grand Slams. However you recognize issues are going to get more durable as a result of I feel Jannik Sinner is on one other stage. Carlos Alcaraz can nonetheless lose towards opponents if he’s not at his greatest stage and we’ve seen not too long ago, so it could be useful.”
Sascha’s objective in Turin might be to win his group, in order to keep away from going through Sinner already within the semifinals. The Italian ace should not have any issues in his group, the place there are Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. The German champion has labored very onerous in latest weeks to enhance his sport, already considering of 2025. Alexander has practiced after virtually each match in Paris-Bercy and his stage was very excessive in every match.
Sascha desires to enhance
Regardless of reaching the second place within the ATP rating, Zverev is satisfied that he’s not but on the identical stage as Sinner and Alcaraz. “For me, it’s about enhancing just a few issues,” mentioned the German in the course of the press convention. “I really feel like, you recognize, Jannik and Carlos, you recognize, they’re doing just a few issues higher than me for the time being. I wish to enhance.
I wish to enhance not for tomorrow, not for at present or, you recognize, due to the matches I performed right here. I wish to typically enhance for subsequent yr as nicely. That’s the explanation I do take this as plenty of apply right here on this week, and I wish to enhance my sport for subsequent yr, as nicely.
I feel in tennis you all the time have to enhance. If you happen to’re standing nonetheless, you’re going to go backwards as a result of the opposite gamers are additionally enhancing. I really feel like they’re so aggressive. I feel tennis goes in the direction of that path. I feel after they get a straightforward ball, after they’re in an attacking place, 90% of the time the purpose is over, whether or not it’s a winner or an unforced error. That’s how onerous they hit the ball, that’s how aggressive they’re. I feel in that side I can enhance. That’s what I’m making an attempt to do” – he added.
The extent of German is ample to win a Grand Slam title, particularly at this second. Rafael Nadal is about to retire, whereas Novak Djokovic appears to have began his ‘descent parabola’ at 37. Sascha should be superb at managing the stress and controlling his nerves, solely then he can lastly break this curse. His objective has reached the highest of his type for the beginning of the 2025 Australian Open, which is why he determined to skip the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
