ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev vs Novak Djokovic: Key stats
Germany's Alexander Zverev, on Thursday, became the third semi-finalist of the 2021 ATP Finals. He defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-2, 6-4 to claim his 57th win of the season. Zverev will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. Although the Serbian is yet to face Cameron Norrie, he reached the semis after beating fifth seed Andrey Rublev. Here are the key stats.
Why does it matter?
Djokovic, who entered the ATP Finals as the top seed, is the front-runner to win in Turin. He won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon before finishing as the US Open runner-up. Meanwhile, Zverev, is the ATP Tour leader in terms of match wins. He has already clinched two Masters 1000 titles this year. Notably, Zverev defeated Djokovic at the Tokyo Games (semi-finals).
Djokovic in pursuit of his sixth ATP Finals title
Djokovic is in pursuit of matching legend Roger Federer, who owns a record six ATP Finals titles. The former has won the season-end championships a total of five times, the joint-second-most with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras. He won the title in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Besides, he was the runner-up in 2016 (lost to Andy Murray) and 2018 (lost to Zverev).
Djokovic could enter his eighth final
If Djokovic defeats Zverev in the penultimate clash, he will enter the final of the ATP Finals for the eighth time. He will emulate the feat of legend Boris Becker. The top two on the list are Federer (10) and Lendl (9).
ATP Finals: Zverev will attempt to reach his second final
Zverev has a win-loss record of 57-15 in the season. He won two Masters 1000 titles (Cincinnati and Madrid). In August, Zverev achieved the biggest win of his career by clinching gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Notably, Zverev has won 30 of his last 34 matches. The 2018 ATP finals champion is attempting to reach his second final in this tournament.
Djokovic vs Zverev: Head-to-head record
Djokovic leads Zverev 7-3 in the ATP head-to-head series. Zverev recently defeated the Serbian in the semi-finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, this is his only win over Djokovic in the last seven matches between the two. Prior to his Tokyo win, Zverev defeated Djokovic in 2018 to win the ATP Finals. In 2017, the German beat Djokovic to win the Rome Masters.
A look at the interesting numbers
Djokovic is vying to become the oldest ATP Finals champion. As per ATP, he could become the second player to secure this trophy after turning 30. He is one of the semi-finalists alongside Zverev and Daniil Medvedev. All three players have won the tournament at least once. This is the first such instance since 1994 (Andre Agassi, Becker, and Sampras reached the semis).
