ATP Finals 2020: "Final" against Novak Djokovic - Alexander Zverev has to play "the best tennis"
Alexander Zverev needs a win in the third group match against Novak Djokovic in order to move into the semifinals of the ATP Finals 2020. The memories of the last duel in London so far could help.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Nov 19, 2020, 02:41 pm
It was in 2018 when Alexander Zverev drew attention to himself for the first time on one of the big stages as part of the ATP Finals. After victories over Roger Federer in the semifinals and over Novak Djokovic in the final, the German was crowned unofficial tennis world champion at the tender age of 21.
Two years later, another final is on the program for the Hamburg native against Djokovic in the O2 Arena in London. Well, Zverev will not be able to win the title on Friday (from 3:00 p.m. live in the Tennisnet ticker) against the Serbs, but at least it will be about survival at the ATP Finals 2020 against the Serbs.
Duel for second place
As in the London 2020 group, there will be a real showdown for second place in the table. Daniil Medvedev is already the winner in the Tokyo 1970 group, Zverev and Djokovic will play the very last ticket for the semifinals in a direct duel.
Despite a victory over Diego Schwartzman, both are still looking for their form in the British capital, although Zverev was quite satisfied with his performance after the match against the Argentine: "I think I played a lot better today. I hope that it will be even better on Friday because I'll need that against Novak. "
But Djokovic will also need an increase in performance compared to the significant defeat against Medvedev to move into the semifinals. "It wasn't a good match of mine. I should and should have played better," said the world number one in his performance.
Zverev just behind in a direct comparison
The memories of Zverev, they could also be better, especially in London. Djokovic clearly won the group game 6: 4 and 6: 1 24 months ago, but a few days later it was a sensitive two-set defeat in the final. A defeat that the 33-year-old has probably just as little forgotten as Zverev.
"I've never had a close match against Novak. We played five times against each other and it was never close," said the world number seven, who is just 3-2 behind in head to head. The route for Friday is already clear: "The start is of course very important. I believe that you have to start with a lot of pressure against Novak. You have to play the best tennis because otherwise you have no chance against him - especially here in the hall."
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