Alexander Zverev Admits his Preference to be in Carlos Alcaraz’s Group in the ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev has expressed that he prefers to be in the same group with Carlos Alcaraz rather than with Jannik Sinner. The 28-year-old has defeated Alcaraz twice at the prestigious season-ending tournament. He also has a better head-to-head against Alcaraz on tour than Sinner.

Zverev enters the ATP Finals as the third seed, just behind World No.1 Sinner and No.2 Alcaraz. Sinner recently overtook Alcaraz after winning the Rolex Paris Masters, but his stay at the top of the ATP rankings will be short-lived as Alcaraz will be back to No.1 by Monday (November 10), when the Live Race To Turin rankings drop.

Zverev is in the Bjorn Borg Group, which consists of Sinner, Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti. The German star will have to win two matches at the tournament to qualify for the semi-finals. Zverev has not been able to beat Sinner in their last three meetings on tour and holds a 4-5 head-to-head record against the 24-year-old.

In fact, Sinner defeated him in the semi-final of the Paris Masters and the final of the Vienna Open. Meanwhile, Zverev holds a 6-6 head-to-head record against Alcaraz and last defeated the Spaniard at the 2024 ATP Finals. Also, Alcaraz holds a rather dismal 3-4 record at the season-ending tournament.

During Zverev’s press conference at the ATP Finals, he was asked which group he would have preferred to be in. The World No.3 revealed that he would have preferred to be in the same group with Alcaraz as he has a better chance of beating the former World No.1 on indoor hard court than Sinner:

I would have preferred to be in Carlos’s group. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter. Well, it does matter, but obviously they’re both the best in the world. On this surface, indoors and on hard courts, and I think the courts are faster than in Paris, I think Jannik is the strongest. I think Carlos would agree. Anyone can beat anyone, but the last two years I was in the same group as Carlos and I won both times.

Zverev has won only one title this season and that came at the Munich Open in April. He has not been able to live up to expectations despite having the chance to become World No.1 earlier this season. He will hope to have a good run at the ATP Finals or perhaps even win the title.

Alexander Zverev says his back injury has been the reason why he struggled this season

Alexander Zverev first declared that he was struggling with a back injury during the North American hard-court swing. The 28-year-old has struggled with the problem rather than undergoing surgery. However, since the indoor hard court, the problem has assuaged, and he has since reached two consecutive semi-finals.

During the aforementioned press conference, he revealed that one of the reasons he failed to compete with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on tour this season is due to a back injury. The World No.3 added that he has been in good health for the past three weeks on tour:

This year I’ve had some problems, some physical problems practically all the time, I’ve struggled health-wise. But when I’ve been healthy and able to compete, as I felt in the last few weeks in Vienna and Paris, I think I’ve also shown good tennis. When I take care of my body and am 100%, I feel like I can compete with the best players in the world.

Zverev will open his ATP Finals campaign against Ben Shelton. He currently holds a 4-0 head-to-head lead over the American star on tour and recently defeated him at the Cincinnati Open. He will face Sinner in the second round robin match before taking on Lorenzo Musetti.

Also Read: Jack Draper Shares an Important Update on His Recovery from Scary Injury

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