Is Alexander Zverev poised for a Nitto ATP Finals hat trick?
The German, who triumphed at the season finale in 2018 and 2021, is riding a wave of momentum as he enters this year’s edition on a five-match win streak following his dominant run to the Rolex Paris Masters title. It marked Zverev’s seventh ATP Masters 1000 crown — and his second this season after also claiming the Rome title.
After a successful comeback season in 2023, during which Zverev qualified for Turin, the 27-year-old has now firmly reestablished himself at the sport’s biggest events.
“In 2023, I didn’t feel like I was competitive in big events, I was far away from winning them. Being able to compete and make Grand Slam finals, win Masters 1000 events, that is a big satisfaction to me because there were obviously question marks if I was ever going to do that again after the injury,” Zverev told ATP Media when reflecting on his 2024 season.
“It was the first year where I was competitive again in big events. I’m happy with where I am.”
[ATP APP]Now setting his sights on another significant stage, Zverev is making his seventh Nitto ATP Finals appearance. Since 2017, the only year he did not qualify for the season finale was in 2022, when he was forced to shut down his year at Roland Garros due to a severe ankle injury.
The field of eight players consists of just two former champions: Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. The Hamburg native is the only player competing that has won the event multiple times. [Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic qualified but is not competing.]
“I think coming in and playing one of the best eight players in the world straight off is a very difficult thing to do. You have to be focused, you have to be ready from the get go,” Zverev said. “I’m looking forward to this week.”
Boasting a season-leading 66 match wins, Zverev is placed in The John Newcombe Group alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev. Zverev will begin his campaign Monday against Rublev, who the German leads 6-3 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“[He's a] powerful, extremely fast player,” said Zverev, World No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “He tries to overpower you. The most important thing against him is to not let him.”
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