How Alexander Zverev trounced Novak Djokovic in the hurly-burly of 2018 Nitto ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev felt that he had been skinnier than he was, and added that he could not explain how he felt after defeating two giants in back to back matches to clinch the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals trophy for the first time. One cannot forget the likes of Nick Kyrgios or a Dominic Thiem beating top players on the odd occasion. But Zverev showed a lot of resolve in a big match when he beat the world number one Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

A firm backhand punch, a winner, to open the account of his points tally, Djokovic started it all well. “15-15, vintage Djokovic, early doors,” a commentator announced Novak’s arrival. His fans would have believed that Sunday was going to be Djokovic's day.

Of course, he was the favourite to win the tournament as well. The skills-set-table, an assessment of a player’s tournament performance, showed Djokovic led Zverev by 12 points – 90 to 78, attested to Djokovic’s new-found dominance in Men’s tennis.

The first couple of games went with the serve. Those two games set the tone for the encounter, with both players proving their ball-striking ability. As one would expect, Zverev’s solid backhand-variety was on display.

On the other hand, Djokovic was the elastic wall, retrieving balls at will, sending in returns picking Zverev’s first delivery directions. However, every now and then, he was pushed to his backhand corner by Zverev’s flat backhand strokes. But the Serb was equal to the task, which prompted Zverev to volley, a risky proposition considering Djokovic’s baseline agility!

In the first set, at 4-4, 30-30, a couple of unforced errors from Novak meant he was broken, only for the very first time in the whole tournament. Enjoying the cushion of a higher first serve percentage of 88 as compared to his opponent’s 62, the very next game Zverev held to love to take the first set.

Novak Djokovic in action against Alexander Zverev, at the O2 Arena

By the time the first game of the second set was on, Djokovic was feeling the heat. At 30-30, Zverev kept his composure in a 26 shot rally, showing a lot of character, which earned him a break point.

It can only be quite unsettling as a player no matter what the context of the match is when you know that players like Nadal and Djokovic always thrive in long rallies, throwing their opponents off balance. It is one feature that these greats have in common. But the young German was perhaps ready to leap in the dark. Of course, he had all the big shots to back him up.

Novak responded to that challenge. Anyhow, Novak’s mini-fightback was short-lived as Zverev got a second chance at Deuce, in the same game. A ferocious forehand down the line off Zverev’s racket sealed Djokovic’s hope of redemption.

Zverev broke Djokovic who was not on the board as yet, in set number 2. Although his forehand did the damage this time, it was, in fact, his backhand which was both flat and solid that granted the 21-year-old the leeway to use his forehand to muscle his way through, in the final match of the season-ending ATP event.

Zverev paid Djokovic back in his own coin staying with Novak in long and bruising rallies

In the very next game, Zverev lost the initiative. He double-faulted and handed the break back to the world number one. But there was no holding back. At 1-1, 15-30, Zverev fought toe-to-toe with Djokovic, this time in a 28 shot rally, coming out on top when Djokovic netted a return. The Serb was on his haunches, looking frustrated after losing that point in a bruising exchange from the backcourt. Zverev led 2-1 and was on serve.

For the first time in the tournament, for the third time after his Wimbledon triumph, Novak looked human and looked vulnerable. He had been playing tennis of the highest quality except for a stumble at the hands of Karen Khachanov in the Paris Masters final earlier this month.

Back at the O2 Arena, the noise level touched 102 decibels as Zverev volleyed. Playing against Federer, Djokovic’s pattern of play had always been simple: keep finding the Swiss maestro’s backhand and hit the odd forehand down the line to get him running to cover a lot of ground and, in the process, extract unforced errors, and make Roger pay for his slice backhand returns.

Even Thiem once said, “I regret hitting one-handed backhand when facing Rafael Nadal.” As an opponent, one can never afford to give baseliners Rafa and Novak any extra time on the ball because they will hit them out of the court.

Both Nadal and Djokovic play very deep from the baseline

But on Sunday, whenever Djokovic wanted to push Zverev back by hitting backhand cross-court shots, he knew that he had to create precise angles in addition to hitting the balls deep into the German’s backhand. Zverev was able to use his height to full effect and defend perfectly well, getting the ball back in play.

Alexander Zverev at full stretch, in the Nitto ATP Finals

As the contest drew to a close, Zverev kept mounting pressure on Novak’s serve. He earned a couple of match points at 3-5, 15-40, in the second set, as the Serb faded away. Zverev finished the match in style, rifling a backhand winner down the line, only for Djokovic to watch. That was the fourth time the world number one was broken on that day.

Zverev hit 20 winners while Djokovic could manage a mere 7. True, the number of winners won’t decide the winner of a tennis tournament. But Sacha, as he is called by the tennis fraternity, had firmly announced his arrival as the most reliable ‘next-gen’ tennis pro.

Alexander Zverev the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals Champion

An article on Alexander Zverev that appeared in The Economist on 4, September last year, read: The 20-year-old has an impressive record in second-tier tournaments. But lanky players have rarely become all-time greats.

On Saturday, Zverev apologized to the crowd at the O2 Arena after his victory against Roger Federer in the semi-final showdown. On Sunday, he thumped out a tune of his own, downing Djokovic at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, grabbing his maiden trophy at the prestigious event. Standing at six feet and six inches (1.98 metres), may the tall German make giant strides in what looks an exciting tennis season next year.