ZVEREV after victory against Djokovic with title chance at the end of the season

With the 7: 6 (7: 4), 4: 6, 6: 3, the Olympic champion on Saturday evening at the season finale in Turin into the final. Thanks to its best idea in this tournament in a high-class and thrilling match, the 24-year-old Hamburger repeated his coup of the summer games Tokyo, where he had also triumphed in the round of the best four against world ranking first.

The final act of his successful year is denied VERY on Sunday (5 pm) against the Russian defending champion Daniel Mercedes, who had prevailed sovereign 6: 4, 6: 2 against the Norwegian outsider Casper Rued. Zeal had just lost the US Open winner in the preliminary round in the Tiebreak of the third sentence and collected his fifth defeat against him in series. Three years ago, the North German had brought the title in the final against Djokovic at the ATP Finals — at that time in London.

It was a fantastic match. We played against each other five times this year, every time it was a great fight, Zeal said after victory, picking up a lobe anthem to the Joker : No one in the world deserves so much Respect as Novak. He is the best player in history, sometimes forget that people.

Nervous Zeal

At the Turin premiere of the event, VERY showed more than 7,000 spectators — due to the Corona pandemic, the capacity was limited — against the routine an a remarkable performance. In the atmospheric illuminated hall, Germanys best tennis player once again relied on his premium, which often led against the excellent return player Djokovic to the point win. There will be many longer ball bills, we will run more, we will suffer more, Zeal had said in advance and thus compared to the preliminary round match against Poland Hubert Surface right.

Especially at 4: 5 From his point of view, that was the case: The German number one had for the first time problems with his own premium and had to ward off a sentence ball of the top favorite. But VERY also hit heavily in the longer ball changes against the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon winner. Although he could not use his only two break possibilities in the following launch of the Serb. And the consequence was the Tiebreak in sentence one. But this secured Zeal earned with a courageous game.

Missed the finale and thanked the fans: Novak Djokovic. Getty Images

After winning the first passage, VERY was early on his side as Djokovic tailored a fresh T-shirt. Quite as if he also wanted to show the 34-year-old that he was ready to conquer him. Mentally Zeal hardly seemed to be braked in recent weeks, also strengthened by his new friend Sophia Thomas. But to 4: 5 Zeal gave his premium for the first time. He then fought four sentences successfully, at the fifth he was powerless.

The season is madness so far

At the US Open in New York in September, Zeal had to give the tennis record collector in five sets. This time it could give a maximum of three passes. The 18-fold tournament winner from Hamburg settled with the game gain to 3: 1 with the surcharge of Djokovic and did not come back to the opponent. The season is madness yet, Zeal had accounted for around three weeks ago in Vienna, where he took his fifth tournament victory 2021. The gold medal in the summer was the emotional climax. The victory in Japan had given him a thrust.

After victory over Djokovic Zeal now looked at a great final of this year. Keyword end game opponent Mercedes: He is a grand slam winner, I am Olympic champion. We will both want to show that.