IIn the event of a semi-finals, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev would meet Novak Djokovic at the end of the season for the best tennis players of the year. The Serbian world number one also won his second preliminary round match in Turin on Wednesday 6: 3, 6: 2 against Russian Andrej Rublev and is therefore the winner of the green group ahead of schedule. The 34-year-old Djokovic has already won the ATP Finals five times, but the last time in 2015.
Zverev has to avoid a preliminary round before a possible duel with the top star. In order to advance, the 24-year-old from Hamburg needs a win against the Polish tournament debutant Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday (2 p.m. / Sky). Only then would he end his group in second behind Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev.
The Greek group opponent Djokovics, Stefanos Tsitsipas (23), is withdrawing from the tournament due to an elbow injury. The organizer announced this on Wednesday. Tsitsipas will not play his second game in the green group, as a substitute the Briton Cameron Norrie (26) slips into the field and plays against the Norwegian Casper Ruud (22) on Wednesday evening. Tsitsipas lost in his first game at the unofficial World Cup against Russian Andrei Rublev on Monday.
After the Italian Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini (25), Tsitsipas is the second player to drop out of the tournament early.
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