The final of the Nitto ATP Finals in London was played on Day Eight.
Novak Djokovic (1) v Sascha Zverev (3)
Against all the evidence, and in particular the way Djokovic handled Zverev in the round robin match, the German young gun produced his finest tennis when it mattered most to upset the world number one and capture the biggest title of his career.
Sascha served magnificently in the first set, not allowing Djokovic to rule the court with his outstanding returning.
It was the pressure towards the end of set one, where Zverev was able to return the Serb serve so effectively that swung the match.
Down break points only twice before in the tournament, Djokovic faced another in the ninth game, and Zverev converted it, breaking the previously unshakable number one.
The set was Zverev’s a game later.
Set two began with three more service breaks, including two more of the Djokovic delivery, and Zverev remained composed for the remainder of the match.
He saved a break point in the sixth game, Novak’s last gasp effort, and won convincingly 6-4 6-3, breaking the Djokovic serve for the fourth time of the match, in the final game.
In set two, Zverev shattered the Djokovic second serve, winning 11 of the 13 points on it.
10 aces to 1 for the match, and six break points created, compared to just one, are a couple of key stats which helped Zverev realise his triumph.
To win the tournament, having beaten second seed Federer in the semis and top seed Djokovic in the final, says so much about the performance of Sascha Zverev, who is now the youngest ever winner of the ATP Finals.
The 2019 ATP year now has even more to offer, with real challenges to the usual suspects come the majors.
No comments:
Post a Comment