German tennis great moments in Turin. Alexander Zverev will play against Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the semi-finals at the end of the season of the eight best tennis professionals of the year. The doubles team of Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz is already assured of the semi-finals at the ATP Finals. In doing so, they are writing German tennis history.
You could see the effort on his face. “I’m also looking forward to the holiday. I think we all played enough tennis this year,” said Alexander Zverev after his second victory in the second preliminary round match at the ATP Finals in Turin. However, the tennis professional still has to be patient for a vacation because the Hamburg resident is in top form towards the end of the year. Zverev had previously won the ATP 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy, thereby underlining his status as the new number two in the world. For the 27-year-old, it was the second Masters victory in 2024 after Rome and the seventh overall in his career.
Now there will be an explosive group showdown against Carlos Alcaraz in the season finale. This Friday (2 p.m., Sky) the two will meet on the last preliminary round matchday of the year-end tournament in Turin. And it’s about reaching the semi-finals. Zverev has to finish first or second in his group of four. He has the best prospects with two wins from two group games and will certainly advance on his own even if he wins at least one set. He would also reach the final weekend if Rublev won against Ruud.
“I just want to give everything to win on Friday,” said Zverev after his 7:6 (7:3), 6:3 in a high-class match against Norwegian Casper Ruud. Zverev’s improving form in the last few weeks is mainly due to the fact that he is playing at his best again after his knee injury.
He needs this to achieve his two big career goals, because the clock is ticking. Becoming number 1 in the world rankings and finally winning a Grand Slam are still missing. In previous tournaments, he failed primarily because of himself. Zverev also expects the Spanish winner of the French Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz, to be in similarly strong form, even if, according to his own words, he was not feeling well during the days in Turin due to illness have.
Alcaraz and Zverev on equal terms
“He played a great match against Rublev and I expect the same,” said Zverev. Alcaraz had his first win against Russian opponent Andrei Rublev in his second appearance at this year’s ATP Finals. Zverev and Alcaraz have faced each other ten times so far, each winning five times. Most recently there was the dramatic French Open final in Paris, in which Zverev dramatically missed his first Grand Slam title against the Spaniard in June.
“The match itself doesn’t actually hang on that much because I feel like I did everything I could do,” said Zverev: “The referee’s decision still really, really hangs with me. I found it very bitter.” A bad decision had at least reduced his chances of the longed-for triumph at the Stade Roland Garros.
Pütz and Krawietz write German tennis history
The German success story at the tournament in Turin is now also being continued in doubles. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz were amazed at their explosion in performance. “This is simply no longer the norm if you look at the year,” said Pütz after the next brilliant game, with which the two of them already wrote a chapter in German tennis history. “We’re trying not to assume that the way we played is normal,” he said, “because that can only lead to disappointment because it was very, very good in the last two matches.”
With two wins in the first two group games, Krawietz and Pütz are already confirmed as semi-finalists in their first joint appearance at the ATP Finals – as the first German doubles team in the 55-year history of the tournament. The eight best doubles of the year compete in Turin – Krawietz/Pütz were the eighth best team in the field.
Unimpressed by the large crowd, which is rarely seen in a doubles competition, the German Davis Cup duo defeated the Italian local heroes Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7:5, 6:4 in Turin. At the start, the US Open finalists defeated the number one seeded Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavic (El Salvador/Croatia). The final group game against Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden (India/Australia) is on Friday (11.30 a.m., Sky) before the finals on Saturday.
The success also comes as a surprise because Pütz had to take a break for several weeks shortly before the ATP Finals due to a torn muscle fiber in his calf. “I could barely move a week and a half ago,” he said. “It’s probably not the ideal preparation, but maybe that’s one reason why it’s so relaxed. The fact that we can play here is actually a bonus.”
jm/dpa
