Alexander Zverev will be looking to avoid past drama as he targets a third ATP Finals title.
The German is in action at the season-ending showpiece in Turin, where he will have his sights set on adding to his previous tournament victories in 2018 and 2021.
Zverev heads into the ATP Finals off the back of his first Paris Masters victory[/caption]
And while he will no doubt to be keen to replicate his past heroics, there are some elements of his former glories that Zverev will hope to avoid during his upcoming campaign.
Back in 2018, the now 27-year-old found himself at the centre of a huge controversy en route to his maiden ATP Finals title.
Despite recording an impressive 7-5 7-6 (5) win over Swiss great Roger Federer in the semi-finals, Zverev’s actions during the decisive tiebreak saw him leave the court to boos from the London crowd.
With Federer leading 4-3 in the second set decider, Zverev then stopped play mid-way through the point after noticing a ball had dropped out of the ball boy’s hand.
Though this his actions were completely within the rules, fans at the 02 Arena were not best pleased, and immediately began to whistle.
When the point was replayed, Zverev struck an ace, putting him in a strong position to close out the match, which he ultimately did moments later.
And the crowd had clearly not forgotten the game’s final moments, as his on-court interview was drowned out by boos and jeering as the two-time Grand Slam finalist tried to apologise for the incident.
In fact, the reception Zverev received was so strong that it prompted Federer himself to come out in defence of his victorious opponent.
After the match, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said: “Look, I understand the frustration. It’s just unfortunate circumstances.
“Booing, I never like it. We see it in other sports all the time, but in tennis it’s rare.
Zverev noticed that a ball had been dropped by a ball boy during a crucial point[/caption]
He then raised this issue and was allowed to replay the point[/caption]
The pair shared a warm embrace at the net afterwards and Federer later insisted there was no problem[/caption]
“So when it happens, it gets very personal and we take it very direct. I think it’s unfortunate that this happened. Sascha [Zverev] doesn’t deserve it.”
Federer then insisted that Zverev had done nothing wrong, despite the crowd believing his actions had gained him an unfair advantage.
The Swiss continued: “He apologised to me at the net. I was like: ‘buddy, shut up! You don’t need to apologise to me here. Congratulations on a great match and a great tournament so far.’
“He didn’t do anything about it. He just called it how it was. He felt it affected play. There is a rule that if something like this happens, obviously you replay points.”
“He said, ‘Yes, I did drop the ball.’ From that standpoint, it’s okay, no problem, that happens. It’s all good.
“I hope he doesn’t have a sleepless night. It’s not a big deal at the end of the day. This is life, this is sport. Definitely not mad at him. It’s all good.”
After his controversial victory over Federer, Zverev finished the tournament on the ultimate high, as he went on to stun world number one Novak Djokovic in the final, winning 6-4 6-3.
The 2018 competition would prove to be Federer’s penultimate appearance at the year-end meet between the world’s top eight-ranked players.
He reached the semi-finals once again in the following year, before calling time on his illustrious career in 2022, having tasted glory in the ATP Finals six times.
Meanwhile Zverev clinched a second tournament title in 2021, beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the final.
And having been victorious in last week’s Paris Masters, this year’s French Open finalist will now be looking to outshine stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannick Sinner in this year’s instalment in Italy.
