After missing the semi-finals at the ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev ended his comeback season with a win and received another handsome Christmas bonus. The Olympic champion defeated Andrej Rublev, also 26, 6:4, 6:4 in his last group game of no sporting significance in Turin, inflicting the Russian’s third defeat in the third match.
Zverev, former number two in the world, ends the tennis year in seventh place. The success over Rublev, his second at the season finale, brought him another 200 ATP points and around 350,000 euros in prize money. Zverev won 54 of 80 matches this year and took the titles in his hometown of Hamburg and in Chendgu, China.
He had previously not received the urgently needed support. Since the Spanish Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev 6:4, 6:4 on Friday afternoon, Zverev’s exit from the group phase was already certain. Alcaraz, Medvedev and Zverev have achieved two wins and one defeat, but Zverev has the worst set record of the trio.
Zverev won the prestigious season finale in 2018 and 2021. In Turin he initially caused a stir with his opening win over Alcaraz, but after the two-set defeat against Medvedev he no longer had his fate in his own hands.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz and Medvedev can continue to dream of the title. The Spaniard will face six-time champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia) in the semi-finals on Saturday in a new edition of the Wimbledon final, while Medvedev will challenge the Italian local hero Jannik Sinner.