The ATP Finals are about to begin in Turin, Italy. The 8 best players in the world are preparing to compete. However, Alexander Zverev The presence of the Big 3 is missing. This is the first time in 23 years that the ATP Finals will take place without the famous Big 3. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has attracted all the attention of the year-end championship for a long, long time, but with two of them having already announced their retirement and Djokovic being a bit picky about which tournaments he wants to play, the ATP Finals of this year seem a little strange.
During the pre-tournament press conference, when one of the journalists asked Alexander Zverev: “Does it feel strange not having any of these guys here?” Not having Novak here. And do you now feel like the most experienced guy in the room? » the German replied,“I think I played the finals the most. I feel old!
“I think it’s strange not to see Novak here. Just because of all the success he had. For me, he remains one of the best players in the world. I mean, he qualified for this event, right? He simply chose not to play it. Zverev further added.
However, it’s not just Djokovic that Zverev misses. He also spoke about his time playing against Nadal and Federer. “But yes, the first times I played, Novak Rafa and Roger have always been the highlights of the tournament. They were always the people everyone expected to win and go far. » the world does not. 2 points out.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 19, 2022 Germany’s Alexander Zverev in action during his second round match against Australia’s John Millman REUTERS/James Gourley
Last year, Novak Djokovic won the ATP Finals title by defeating Jannik Sinner. Even after two decades, the Big 3 remained strong in the title race. This year too, Djokovic proved his mettle by winning the elusive Olympic gold medal. However, he decided not to appear in Turin due to a “continuing injury”.
During the end of year tournament, for the first time, none of the Big3 will mark their presence. Even if Djokovic qualified for the event. Since the Olympics, his knee (after a rapid 20-day convalescence) has probably started to bother him again.
Speaking of Zverev’s ATP Finals record, when he won the tournament for the first time in 2018, he had to beat at least two of the Big 3 to win the title. He beat Federer in the semi-final and Djokovic in the final. No one could win the year-end title without beating one or all of the Big 3.”You had to beat these guys to have a chance at the title. It’s really different!– remarked Zverev.
However, even without the Big 3, it may not be much different for the German ace. He will still have to face the challenge of the younger generation with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
In the absence of the Big 3, Sinner and Alcaraz stand in Alexander Zverev’s path to the title
Zverev has another challenge to face this season. And he will do everything possible to defeat the outgoing world No. 1, and the world No. 3, Sinner and Alcaraz. Zverev transformed his training schedule to incorporate overtime, just to improve. He spoke about his motivation for the extra work done at the Paris Masters press conference.
He said, “For me, it’s about improving certain things. I feel like, you know, Jannik and Carlos, you know, they’re doing some things better than me right now, I want to get better, not for tomorrow, not for today or, you know, at because of the matches I played here. . I also want to improve overall for next year. Fittingly, this season he was ousted by Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final.
This is surprising, because Alexander Zverev is not only aiming for the season-ending title, but he is also already planning next year’s tournaments. It would be exciting to see Zverev face the two youngsters in Turin. He would back himself to go all the way this season in the absence of the Big 3, but will it be easy with Sinner and Alcaraz standing in his way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
