Alexander Zverev’s ATP Finals Hopes Hang in the Balance After Paris Exit

Alexander Zverev tore his hairband off his head and congratulated Stefanos Tsitsipas fairly at the net. “See you in Turin,” the Olympic tennis champion said confidently to his Greek opponent after his exit in the round of 16 in Paris – although Zverev’s participation in the ATP Finals in around two weeks is not yet perfect.

Despite the early elimination in the French capital, the chances of taking part in the season finale are good.

But after the 6:7 (2:7), 4:6 against Tsitsipas, Zverev now has to hope from the couch that his competitors make a mistake and that he can be there at the prestigious end of the year in Italy (November 13th to 20th).

In the “Race to Turin” Boris Becker’s protégé Holger Rune (Denmark) and Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), who has already qualified for the quarter-finals in Paris, can overtake Hamburg, who is currently in seventh place.

Tsitsipas books a ticket to Turin

To overtake Zverev, Rune would have to reach the semi-finals and Hurkacz would have to make it to the final. If both happen, Zverev would only be ninth in the race and would therefore only be a substitute player in Turin.

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, has already secured his starting place for the ATP Finals. Zverev’s record remains modest against the two-time Grand Slam finalist from Greece, who appears to be increasingly overcoming his weaker phase. There are now four wins compared to nine defeats.

For Tsitsipas it was even the first win in 2023 against a top ten player. The world number nine from Hamburg repeatedly had problems with his forehand, Tsitsipas played more consistently and secured the first round after 1:11 hours.

Zverev got off to a bad start in the second set, the Hamburg player immediately conceded the break and fell behind. After 1:58 minutes, Tsitsipas used his third match point to win.

Help from Altmaier?

Daniel Altmaier, however, is still challenged in Paris on Thursday evening – and could provide Zverev with valuable help with a win in the round of 16 against Rune on the way to Turin.

Zverev triumphed at the ATP Finals in London in 2018 and in Turin in 2021. Whether he gets another chance is no longer in his hands.

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2023-11-02 19:01:00
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