Western & Southern Open 2021 Finals: Alexander Zverev crowned ‘champion’ after defeating Andrey Rublev in the finals

The Western and Southern Open has treated fans with a lot of memorable games this season. After a few upsets and a few expected decisions, the tournament progressed into the finals where Zverev took on Rublev and it turned out to be a rather one-sided affair.

Alexander Zverev started the finals as a firm favorite and played according to his reputation. The German tennis star never allowed Rublev to make a comeback. Moreover, Zverev won a whopping 93% of the first-serve points which sealed the win for him.

In juniors he used to kick my a**: Zverev praises Rublev after the finals

Rublev never really looked confident on the court. Although he showcased incredible discipline and did not commit a single double fault compared to Zverev’s 4, he scored just 9% of second serve points compared to Zverev’s 67%, which made things extremely easy for the German.

After lifting the coveted trophy, Zverev praised Rublev for his incredible journey in the tournament. He said, “Rublev is one of, if not the best friend I have had since I was 11. In juniors, he used to kick my a**.” He went on to say that he is hopeful that he will get to face Rublev in many big tournaments in the future.

After the game, Rublev accepted that he had a few confidence issues while facing Zverev. “You need to win at least once to find this key to what you need to do exactly,” he said. “When you lose match by match, it’s not easy. It’s more mental. It’s not about the game. You need to find the key to how to behave inside of yourself about how to play these matches because the game is there,” Rublev added.

Also read: Who are Alexander Zverev’s Parents?

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