ATP Finals 2018: 5 Talking points from Alexander Zverev's stunning win over Novak Djokovic
In one of the most interesting matches ever seen at the ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev followed up his semifinal win over Roger Federer by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final to clinch the title. Djokovic was handed his second defeat by the 21-year-old German, who became the youngest winner of the tournament since Djokovic himself, back in 2008.
Zverev finished the year placed fourth in the ATP rankings, and also picked up his fourth title of 2018.
Djokovic had fallen outside the top 20 in the first half of the season. However, after performing extraordinarily at the US Open and Wimbledon, he was able to get back his number one ranking. He was hoping to finish the year on a high with his sixth ATP Finals crown, only to be defeated by the third seed Zverev.
Zverev was able to keep up the pace in the long rallies; Djokovic failed to tire his opponent the way he usually does. Some unforced errors caused him to lag behind in the match, and Zverev was able to maintain his lead by serving brilliantly.
This match is significant in the history of tennis for various reasons: Zverev is the first ever player to beat both Federer and Djokovic at the same ATP Finals. He also beat the top two seeds in the semifinals and finals for the first time since Andre Agassi accomplished the feat in 1990. At 21 years and 6 months is the youngest player to win the ATP Finals since 2008, and he is the first German winner since Boris Becker in 1995.
Here are the five biggest talking points from the 10th edition of the season finale in London’s O2 Arena as tennis looks ahead to the next year.
#5 Zverev outplays Djokovic in unexpected ways
Djokovic did not expect what was coming. He was taken aback by Zverev’s relentless power and consistency during Sunday’s final. The Serb admitted, “You definitely played much better than you had in the group stage” during the presentation ceremony.
In the group stage match four days earlier, Djokovic had won 6-4 6-1. While Zverev rebounded to stun Federer in the semifinal, no one thought that he would end up smashing his way past Djokovic too.
Most strikingly, Zverev outlasted Djokovic in the baseline rallies, often eliciting errors from the usually rock-solid Serb. This was completely contrary to what most people anticipated before the match, and showed how greatly the German had progressed with his consistency.