Alexander Zverev has headed into the ATP Finals full of confidence! This marks his seventh appearance at the prestigious event. He recently clinched his second title of the season at the Paris Masters, where he dominated Ugo Humbert in the final. With this victory, Zverev also overtook Carlos Alcaraz to become No. 2 in the ATP rankings. In his group, named the John Newcombe Group, the German faces tough competition, including Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud. But his chances of making it to the end are looking pretty good, based on his recent form. Even former champion Andy Roddick agrees.

Zverev has kicked off his campaign in Turin with a solid win over Andrey Rublev, finishing with a score of 6-4, 6-4. His performance has many believing he’s a strong contender for the title. Former champion Andy Roddick weighed in during a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast. Emphasizing Zverev has what it takes, Roddick said, “Watch out for him. I love him in this group.” On one side, Alcaraz lost to  Ruud, Zverev proved his prowess against Rublev. This doesn’t come as much of a shock since Zverev is the only player in this year’s event who has previous experience of winning the ATP Finals in the past, in 2018 and in 2021!

Talking about Zverev’s strong serve, Roddick noted, “Well, when you serve 70 percent first serves on a regular basis, from 6’6” and you can defend, you know, like you’re 6’1. That solves a lot of problems.” Zverev combines power with agility, creating significant challenges for his opponents. Andy also highlighted Zverev’s resilience saying, “We see people kind of having meltdowns at the end of the year. Maybe not feeling as great as they normally do.” While Sascha supposedly is always up for the challenge.

Despite facing setbacks since his win at the Italian Open in May, Zverev has bounced back impressively. Roddick remarked, “He always is kind of opportunistic when the situation presents itself. We saw it in Bercy. We see it here.” Zverev’s journey to this year’s ATP Finals was fueled by hard work and determination, especially after his comeback at the Paris Masters where he defeated Ugo Humbert in the final with a scoreline of 6-2 6-2.

With two ATP Finals titles already to Zverev’s name—one beating Novak Djokovic in 2018—Roddick warns everyone to keep an eye on the German star. The former US Open champion said, “He’s got a shot at the title. I think he’s the favorite outside of Sinner.” Jannik Sinner sits atop the rankings, but only time will tell if Zverev can take him down too!

Meanwhile, Zverev feels the emptiness of Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament. It’s a significant shift in the competition’s landscape.

Sascha misses having the legend Djokovic at the ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic have faced each other a total of 12 times, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head record 8-4. Their last encounter was at the 2023 Cincinnati Open, where Djokovic emerged victorious. This season, however, they have not had the opportunity to clash, as Djokovic withdrew from the ATP Finals due to an ongoing injury. He expressed his disappointment, stating, “I was looking forward to being there, but due to an ongoing injury, I will not be available next week.”

In the lead-up to the ATP Finals, Zverev shared his thoughts on the high level of competition in the tournament. He emphasized that “it’s the eight best players in the world competing in this event,” highlighting the immense talent on show in Turin. While he remains optimistic about his chances, Zverev acknowledged Djokovic’s absence, saying, “Of course, we’re missing Novak.” Interestingly, both players have faced each other four times at the ATP Finals, with each winning two matches.

Zverev views Djokovic’s absence as an opportunity for others. “Anybody who’s playing their best tennis has a chance of winning the tournament,” he noted. As tennis transitions from the dominance of the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, Zverev recognizes a shift towards a new generation of stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

He remarked, “For me, he’s still one of the best players in the world… He just chose not to play.” With a tougher field ahead, Alexander Zverev aims to clinch his third ATP Finals title and solidify his place among the tennis elite. Do you think he’ll be clinching his third title this time around? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!