“Never easy to play against him” Alexander Zverev applauds Rafael Nadal after thrashing him in Paris Masters semi-final

“Never easy to play against him” Alexander Zverev applauds Rafael Nadal after thrashing him in Paris Masters semi-final
Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev

The semi-final clash at the 2020 ATP Paris Masters between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev brought about the most unexpected result as it unfolded. The World No.7 downed the 20-time Grand Slam champion for the second time in his career. Zverev did so in extreme fashion, with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-5.

Even though Sascha has been dowsed in controversy, the German has managed to block everything out of his system to produce a fair performance in France. The number of people questioning the ATP’s decision to continue to let him play is increasing. However, the 23-year-old is determined to prove his worth on the court. Earlier this week, he also stated that he “was only here (in Paris) to play tennis.”

The German reflected on the shocking win against Rafa and gave an insight on his headspace before heading into the final battle with Daniil Medvedev.

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Zverev’s comments on his unexpected win

Alexander Zverev

In spite of having the highest win-loss % of 83 at Masters 1000 events, Nadal lost to Alexander, who has it of 66%. Sascha has already picked up 2 consecutive titles in Cologne before appearing in Paris. Now, the German has extended his winning streak to 12 matches.

In his post-match press conference, he stated that it was “never easy to play against Rafa.”

Zverev sports an impressive lead over Medvedev in the accumulation of their past results. The German has won 5 of the 6 times the duo has played. However, Medvedev won their last meeting which came about in the final of Shanghai Masters. He thrashed Zverev to come atop 6-4, 7-6(4).

Referring to his final battle against Medvedev, he added, “I played Daniil a lot of times. He beat me last year in the final in Shanghai. I’ve beaten him a few times. But I think a final is always different.  Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult one.”

Inspite of having defeated the Russian 5 times, Medvedev stands to be the favourite heading into the final bout.

Also Read: “He was serving bombs” Rafael Nadal reacts to his unexpected defeat against Alexander Zverev in the Paris Masters semi-final