Novak Djokovic congratulates Alexander Zverev on ATP Finals win, says he had an "incredibly tough year on and off the court"
Novak Djokovic had nothing but praise after Alexander Zverev put up a dominating performance to win the 2021 ATP Finals. The world no. 1 shared a social media update congratulating the German on his triumph.
Zverev defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 to win his second ATP Finals crown, following his maiden title in 2018. Prior to the final, he had lost five consecutive matches against the Russian, including a loss in the round-robin stage a few days ago. But the German turned the tide against Medvedev by completely outplaying him in the title round.
Your 2021 #NittoATPFinals champion:
@AlexZverev 🏆
https://t.co/YzhijpMXOq
Djokovic stated that Zverev had a tough year on and off the court, referring to the domestic violence allegations leveled against him by former girlfriend Olga Sharypova.
But the 20-time Grand Slam champion knows how much tennis can help during tough times and was glad that the sport turned out to be a winning arena for the German as well. Djokovic had only good words for Zverev and his team and called him a great guy and applauded him for a great season and winning the ATP Finals.
"Alexander Zverev had an incredibly tough year on and off the court. I know how much tennis helps me to grow when the going gets tough and I am happy that tennis was Sascha’s winning field this year. He is such a great guy and I can only say words of praise for him and his team. Well done for grand season finale and a big trophy Sascha!"
By defeating Djokovic and Medvedev, Zverev became the fourth player to defeat the world no. 1 and 2 at the ATP Finals
Alexander Zverev's triumph at the 2021 ATP Finals was a huge milestone in his career. He became just the tenth player to win the event more than once, as well as just the fourth player to win the title after defeating the top two players in the world.
The title was also his sixth of the year, more than any other player on the tour this season. His titles include two at Masters 1000 level and the Olympic Gold medal. He was also the only player to defeat Djokovic twice this year.
With his season-ending victory in the ATP Finals, Zverev is set to end the year ranked at number three, his best ever year-end ranking.