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Dimitrov books Cilic encounter
In his 70th tour-level match this season, Alexander Zverev defeated #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-4 at the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.

The fourth-seeded German, who captured his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Madrid this year, advanced after one hour and 44 minutes, saving eight of 10 break points en route to victory. The 21-year old, now 30-11 in tour-level hard-court matches this season, improves to 3-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Tiafoe.

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Delray Beach Open champion Tiafoe will now travel to Milan as he prepares to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals, from 6-10 November. Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Zverev will meet Diego Schwartzman for a spot in the quarter-finals. The 15th seed withstood 19 aces to beat Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes.

Grigor Dimitrov reached the third round in the French capital for the sixth straight year, beating Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(10), 6-4. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion was forced to save three set points in a 22-point first-set tie-break before claiming victory after one hour and 36 minutes.

"I think I played a very good first set. It's one of the best sets I have played this year I would say," said Dimitrov. "So that was a good feeling. And even in the second set when I was two breaks up, I just wanted to try a couple of things... I lost two service games, but I found a way after to just break right away and finish strong.

"[There were] a lot of long rallies and it gives me a lot of confidence as soon as I win them. So it's great. Obviously it's a very tough first round for me, but I was happy to finish in such a manner."


Dimitrov, who is working with former World No. 1 Andre Agassi this week, will meet Marin Cilic in the third round. The 27-year-old trails Cilic 1-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

"We've known each other for quite some time and it's the right timing, right now, to have [Andre] on the team," said Dimitrov. "Nothing is said at the moment but we're just still trying to figure how we're going to make the schedule.

"Hopefully I can travel with him a bit more next year, and for sure we're going to try to spend a lot more time together in the upcoming weekends and months... Hopefully in the next couple of months we'll know more how we're going to do our schedule."

People in tennis rarely agree about everything, but on one subject there is unanimity: the game has been blessed for the past decade by a golden generation.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have proved an extraordinary trio, collectively dominating the ATP World Tour to a degree that nobody would have thought possible. This has spawned a debate lasting longer than anyone had anticipated: the question of who will step up when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are defeated by the one adversary who eventually beats everyone: Father Time. And when that discussion has taken place over the past couple of years Alexander Zverev has unfailingly been among the names put forward.

There is no question that the 21-year-old from Hamburg has sometimes felt the weight of expectation, having been identified as ‘The Next Big Thing’ earlier than any of his contemporaries.

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It has probably not made life any easier for Zverev that he comes from a country with a rich tennis history that craves another champion. As any tennis historian will tell you, when the ATP World Tour came into being in its modern form in 1990, there was one country more responsible for its success than anywhere else – Germany.

The appetite for tennis there was enormous, in particular thanks to Boris Becker, but also due to the popularity of Michael Stich and, in the women’s game, Steffi Graf. Television audiences were huge and tournaments proliferated, and it remains an important market for the sport. Ever since those heady days of the early 1990s there has been an impressive German production line of players of both sexes, but perhaps none of them have had expectations loaded upon them in the same way the rangy, tousle-haired baseliner has.

Zverev was an outstanding field hockey player as a young boy but, as the son of a father who represented the former Soviet Union at tennis before emigrating, the racquet sport was always likely to be his destiny. This was especially so as his elder brother Mischa, who has had a late blossoming of his career as a touring professional, was also in the business.

But, in the Zverev family, it has long been the younger sibling of whom great things were expected, as happens to all those who reach the status of world junior No. 1, as he did as a 16-year-old. The pressure was only ramped up in 2014 when, just a few months after turning 17, he defeated two seeded players to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 500 in his home city of Hamburg.

That brought him mainstream attention, but that was taken largely in his stride as his trajectory continued in a highly satisfactory manner, with his career guided by his father and coach Alexander Sr. After making the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings in 2015, he broke into the Top 20 in 2016.

With its ranking system, tennis is a fairly easy sport in which to judge players against a benchmark of what others before them have achieved at the same age; there was no doubt that the young German was very much on track.

It was last season when Zverev’s potential began to properly solidify, and all at an age – he only left his teens in April 2017 – when modern male tennis players are still only meant to be learning their trade. After some impressive results he went to Rome and ended up winning one of the most historic tournaments on the ATP World Tour, beating Djokovic in the final. By doing so he became the youngest winner of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, and the first champion at that level who was born in the 1990s.

Beating Federer in the final of last year’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Montreal only underscored Zverev’s talent. Only Federer, with three victories at that level, won more Masters 1000 titles last year than Zverev did. While he qualified for last season’s inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, he missed the tournament in order to concentrate on the Nitto ATP Finals, with the debutant defeating Marin Cilic but failing to progress into the knock-out rounds. For a second year in succession, Zverev has accomplished the Milan-London double of qualifying for both the Next Gen ATP Finals and the Nitto ATP Finals.

This has been another strong season for Zverev, which has included winning a third Masters 1000 title in Madrid, and reaching the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. That was his deepest run yet at the Grand Slams – for all his outstanding form on the ATP World Tour, we have yet to see the best of this exciting young talent when playing over five sets at the majors. But Zverev has been taking measures to address this, in an attempt to position himself as the player who will fill the breach when the incredible champions of this era finally subside.

Twice Zverev has borrowed from the Andy Murray playbook. The first time was hiring Jez Green, Murray’s former fitness trainer. The second was taking on Ivan Lendl, Murray’s former coach, as a consultant to try to maximise his level at the biggest events.

It is part of tennis folklore how Murray linked up with Lendl, and how that seemed to be the missing piece of the jigsaw that turned a perennial nearly-man into a champion. Zverev turned to Lendl in August, and while it did not pay an immediate dividend, with a loss to compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round of the US Open, it may yet turn out to be a smart move. Murray did not win a Grand Slam until his fourth major with Lendl, and the Briton was a far more experienced player when their partnership began.

At the tender age of 21, with excellent movement for a big man standing 6’6”, and with a particularly strong serve and backhand, Zverev is very much at the forefront of the Next Gen on the ATP World Tour. But patience is the watchword.

Only 21 years old, Alexander Zverev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for a second successive year, and will be attempting to win the biggest title of his career. Profile by Mike Dickson of The Daily Mail

People in tennis rarely agree about everything, but on one subject there is unanimity: the game has been blessed for the past decade by a golden generation.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have proved an extraordinary trio, collectively dominating the ATP World Tour to a degree that nobody would have thought possible. This has spawned a debate lasting longer than anyone had anticipated: the question of who will step up when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are defeated by the one adversary who eventually beats everyone: Father Time. And when that discussion has taken place over the past couple of years Alexander Zverev has unfailingly been among the names put forward.

There is no question that the 21-year-old from Hamburg has sometimes felt the weight of expectation, having been identified as ‘The Next Big Thing’ earlier than any of his contemporaries.

Buy Your London Tickets

It has probably not made life any easier for Zverev that he comes from a country with a rich tennis history that craves another champion. As any tennis historian will tell you, when the ATP World Tour came into being in its modern form in 1990, there was one country more responsible for its success than anywhere else – Germany.

The appetite for tennis there was enormous, in particular thanks to Boris Becker, but also due to the popularity of Michael Stich and, in the women’s game, Steffi Graf. Television audiences were huge and tournaments proliferated, and it remains an important market for the sport. Ever since those heady days of the early 1990s there has been an impressive German production line of players of both sexes, but perhaps none of them have had expectations loaded upon them in the same way the rangy, tousle-haired baseliner has.

Zverev was an outstanding field hockey player as a young boy but, as the son of a father who represented the former Soviet Union at tennis before emigrating, the racquet sport was always likely to be his destiny. This was especially so as his elder brother Mischa, who has had a late blossoming of his career as a touring professional, was also in the business.

But, in the Zverev family, it has long been the younger sibling of whom great things were expected, as happens to all those who reach the status of world junior No. 1, as he did as a 16-year-old. The pressure was only ramped up in 2014 when, just a few months after turning 17, he defeated two seeded players to reach the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour 500 in his home city of Hamburg.

That brought him mainstream attention, but that was taken largely in his stride as his trajectory continued in a highly satisfactory manner, with his career guided by his father and coach Alexander Sr. After making the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings in 2015, he broke into the Top 20 in 2016.

With its ranking system, tennis is a fairly easy sport in which to judge players against a benchmark of what others before them have achieved at the same age; there was no doubt that the young German was very much on track.

It was last season when Zverev’s potential began to properly solidify, and all at an age – he only left his teens in April 2017 – when modern male tennis players are still only meant to be learning their trade. After some impressive results he went to Rome and ended up winning one of the most historic tournaments on the ATP World Tour, beating Djokovic in the final. By doing so he became the youngest winner of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, and the first champion at that level who was born in the 1990s.

Beating Federer in the final of last year’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Montreal only underscored Zverev’s talent. Only Federer, with three victories at that level, won more Masters 1000 titles last year than Zverev did. While he qualified for last season’s inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, he missed the tournament in order to concentrate on the Nitto ATP Finals, with the debutant defeating Marin Cilic but failing to progress into the knock-out rounds. For a second year in succession, Zverev has accomplished the Milan-London double of qualifying for both the Next Gen ATP Finals and the Nitto ATP Finals.

This has been another strong season for Zverev, which has included winning a third Masters 1000 title in Madrid, and reaching the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. That was his deepest run yet at the Grand Slams – for all his outstanding form on the ATP World Tour, we have yet to see the best of this exciting young talent when playing over five sets at the majors. But Zverev has been taking measures to address this, in an attempt to position himself as the player who will fill the breach when the incredible champions of this era finally subside.

Twice Zverev has borrowed from the Andy Murray playbook. The first time was hiring Jez Green, Murray’s former fitness trainer. The second was taking on Ivan Lendl, Murray’s former coach, as a consultant to try to maximise his level at the biggest events.

It is part of tennis folklore how Murray linked up with Lendl, and how that seemed to be the missing piece of the jigsaw that turned a perennial nearly-man into a champion. Zverev turned to Lendl in August, and while it did not pay an immediate dividend, with a loss to compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round of the US Open, it may yet turn out to be a smart move. Murray did not win a Grand Slam until his fourth major with Lendl, and the Briton was a far more experienced player when their partnership began.

At the tender age of 21, with excellent movement for a big man standing 6’6”, and with a particularly strong serve and backhand, Zverev is very much at the forefront of the Next Gen on the ATP World Tour. But patience is the watchword.

Alexander Zverev jest zainteresowany występem w lutowym meczu z Węgrami, którego stawką będzie awans do turnieju finałowego Pucharu Davisa 2019.

Puchar Federacji: finał bez Kvitovej w sobotę. Strycova i Siniakova czeskimi singlistkami
Tenisista z Hamburga powiedział, że bardzo chciałby zagrać w spotkaniu, które w dniach 1-2 lutego 2019 roku odbędzie się we Frankfurcie nad Menem. Wcześniej piąty obecnie zawodnik świata krytycznie wypowiadał się na temat turnieju finałowego Pucharu Davisa, który zostanie rozegrany w listopadzie w Madrycie.
Alexander Zverev podkreślił, że w pewnym sensie odpowiada mu formuła rozgrywania meczów Pucharu Davisa u siebie lub na wyjeździe, dlatego bardzo chce zaprezentować się przed niemieckimi fanami w kraju. Ostateczna decyzja o starcie zostanie podjęta w styczniu, gdy tenisista będzie wiedział, jak się czuje po imprezach rozgrywanych na Antypodach.

Niemcy zmierzą się w dniach 1-2 lutego z Węgrami. Jeśli zwyciężą, to wystąpią w 18-zespołowym turnieju finałowym w Madrycie, którego termin nie odpowiada wielu czołowym graczom. Zverev stał się w ostatnim czasie zwolennikiem skrócenia tenisowego kalendarza. W 2018 rozegrał już 72 spotkania, z czego wygrał 54. Przed nim jeszcze występ w londyńskich Finałach ATP World Tour (11-18 listopada).

German defeats Isner in straight sets

Alexander Zverev became the youngest Nitto ATP Finals semi-finalist in nine years on Friday, beating John Isner 7-6(5), 6-3 at The O2.

"It's obviously great getting to the semi-finals. But the tournament isn't over," said Zverev. "I am in the semi-finals. There's only good opponents left. There's only the best in the world. I'm playing Roger tomorrow, which is going to be a very difficult but hopefully very nice match. We'll see how far I can go."

Not since Juan Martin del Potro reached the championship match on his debut in 2009 has a player as young as Zverev advanced beyond the round-robin stage, but the German notched his second Group Guga Kuerten win after 81 minutes. Zverev will join group-winner Novak Djokovic in Saturday's semi-finals, where he will face Roger Federer for a spot in the final. In the other semi-final, Djokovic will meet Kevin Anderson in a repeat of this year's Wimbledon final.

"Obviously it's going to be a very difficult match," said Zverev. "I mean, [Roger] on this surface, an indoor court, he's an unbelievable player."

As a result of claiming a career-best 56th tour-level win of the season, Zverev becomes the first German to reach the last four at the Nitto ATP Finals since Rainer Schuettler in 2003 (l. to Agassi). Zverev, who has captured titles in Madrid, Munich and Washington, D.C. this year, is guaranteed to finish the season with the most tour-level victories in 2018.

In a first set dominated by serve, Isner was the only man to reach deuce in a return game. With Zverev serving at 5-6, the American rifled a forehand winner to earn set point, only for Zverev to fire an ace and eventually force a tie-break.

With Isner needing a straight-sets victory to maintain his ambitions of reaching the semi-finals, the Miami champion attempted to control baseline rallies with his forehand. After a forehand error at 4/4, the American recovered the mini-break in the next point with a driven forehand return to get back on track. But a crucial forehand error at 5/6 cost Isner the set, and with it, his chances of reaching the last four.

"I feel like I ended this season on a pretty positive note," said Isner. "I played a positive match. I went for my shots. In that tie-break in the first set, I missed a few forehands, but I was going for my shots. He came up with a remarkable shot at 5/5... Credit to him."

Zverev made the decisive move at 3-4 in the second set, pushing Isner behind the baseline to earn the first break point of the set. Isner attempted to reach deuce by coming to net behind his serve, but Zverev fired a low return before charging to the net and placing a forehand past a stranded Isner to break. The German sealed the win on his first match point as Isner failed to find the court with his backhand return.

"Everyone knows how good he is, how much of a complete player he is," said Isner. "In order for me to beat him, I have to out-serve him, and I didn't do that today. He served pretty well, I thought. I felt like he aced me a bunch.

"I think he was pretty dialed in on his serve, which was of course very important. A lot of times with me it comes down to a few points here or there. I had the one break point, and he aced me. That's a credit to him. That's why he's ranked what he's ranked. He was better."

Isner ends his 2018 campaign with a 34-22 tour-level record. The 33-year-old defeated Zverev to capture his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown at the Miami Open presented by Itaú and also lifted a record fifth trophy at the BB&T Atlanta Open.

"[This week] didn't go as planned. You make this tournament, you want to do a little bit better. But at the same time this is no normal event. You're up against the absolute best in the world," said Isner. "I just came up short against players that were better than me this week. So I gave it my all. There are definitely some things I could have done better."

Did You Know?
Isner ends the season as the No. 1 American for the sixth time in the past seven years. Only Jimmy Connors (9), Andy Roddick (8), John McEnroe (7) and Pete Sampras (7) have finished more years as the No. 1 American in the ATP Rankings.

Alexander Zverev w trzech setach pokonał Johna Isnera w meczu trzeciej kolejki Grupy A rozgrywanych na korcie twardym w hali w Londynie Finałów ATP World Tour 2018. Tym samym Niemiec został ostatnim półfinalistą imprezy.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
16 Listopada 2018, 16:49
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Getty Images / Clive Brunskill / Na zdjęciu: Alexander Zverev

Finały ATP World Tour: zwycięstwo Łukasza Kubota i Marcelo Melo na pożegnanie z turniejem

Przystępując do meczu z Johnem Isnerem, Alexander Zverev wiedział, że jeśli wygra, awansuje do półfinału Finałów ATP World Tour 2018. Sytuacja Amerykanina była o wiele trudniejsza. Tenisista z Greensboro musiał zwyciężyć w dwóch setach i liczyć na korzystny wynik drugiego piątkowego spotkania.

Zverev znalazł się w identycznym położeniu jak w zeszłorocznej edycji Masters. Wówczas także po dwóch kolejkach miał w dorobku zwycięstwo i porażkę, a w ostatniej serii gier zmierzył się z Amerykaninem - Jackiem Sockiem. Wygrana dawała mu miejsce w 1/2 finału. Lecz wtedy nie sprostał wyzwaniu.

W pierwszej partii czwartkowego starcia obaj świetnie spisywali się przy własnych podaniach. Aż do dziesiątego gema, w którym Isner stanął przed szansą. Amerykanin miał piłkę setową, lecz Zverev obronił się asem. Ostatecznie o losach tej odsłony musiał decydować tie break, w którym Niemiec zwyciężył 7-5 i tym samym pozbawił swojego rywala nadziei na miejsce w półfinale.

Sam natomiast wyraźnie zwiększył swoje. A w drugim secie robił wszystko, aby postawić kropkę nad "i" na zwycięstwie oraz awansie. Wywierał presję na serwisie Isnera, a w ósmym gemie doczekał się pierwszego w meczu przełamania, wykorzystując nieudaną akcję serwis-wolej przeciwnika. Dzięki temu wyszedł na prowadzenie 5:3, następnie zdobył brakującego mu do sukcesu gema i zameldował się w 1/2 finału.

Mecz trwał godzinę i 21 minut. W tym czasie Zverev zaserwował 18 asów, ani razu nie został przełamany, miał jedną szansę na breaka i ją wykorzystał, posłał 25 zagrań kończących, popełnił dziesięć niewymuszonych błędów i łącznie zdobył 68 punktów, o 12 więcej od rywala. Isnerowi natomiast zapisano dziesięć asów, 26 uderzeń wygrywających oraz 20 pomyłek własnych.

Tenisista z Hamburga po raz pierwszy w drugim w karierze starcie w Masters awansował do półfinału tego turnieju. O finał, w sobotę, zmierzy się z Rogerem Federerem.

Finały ATP World Tour, Londyn (Wielka Brytania)
Tour Championships, kort twardy w hali, pula nagród 8 mln dolarów
piątek, 16 listopada

Grupa A (Gustavo Kuerten)

Alexander Zverev (Niemcy, 3) - John Isner (USA, 7:6(5), 6:3