Turin: Germany’s Alexander Zverev clinched the 2021 ATP Finals title after beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in the finals, here on Sunday.
The German defeated World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the semi-finals and backed that up against World No. 2 Medvedev, capitalising on his powerful game to secure victory in 75 minutes.
With his victory, Zverev became just the fourth player in the tournament’s history to earn semi-final and final wins over the top two players in the ATP Rankings. The World No. 3 fired seven aces, hit 22 winners, and did not face a breakpoint in his statement win over the Russian.
It was Zverev’s second ATP Finals title and he ended his standout 2021 season in style in Turin.
“It was great. I won the ATP Finals, in the final against someone I had lost five times in a row, so I had to play one of my best matches. I am happy about that and happy to go on holiday with this win,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.
The 24-year-old, who fell to Medvedev in the round-robin stage, has repeated what he achieved in London in 2018 when he won the title by reversing a round-robin loss to the player he faced in the championship match. The third seed beat Djokovic to clinch his first season finale trophy three years ago.
“It is special, and I am super thrilled and happy right now. There is no better way to end the season than winning here. I am incredibly happy and I am already looking forward to next year,” Zverev added.
Alexander Zverev has now earned a tour-leading 59 victories this season and has snapped a five-match losing streak against Medvedev, levelling their head-to-head series at 6-6. The 25-year-old defeated Zverev at the ATP Cup and the Paris Masters in 2021.
Earlier this year, the World No. 3 captured two ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Madrid and Cincinnati and won the Tokyo Olympic singles gold medal.
The 19-time tour-level champion also triumphed in Acapulco and Vienna and has won 32 of his past 36 matches since Wimbledon.
