London: A few hours after old master Roger Federer reminded everyone of his enduring magic, Alexander Zverev, the man leading the next generation of men’s tennis, dazzled on his ATP Finals debut.
The 20-year-old German, ranked three in the world, was hot and cold against Croatia’s Marin Cilic but, when it mattered most, he produced his best tennis to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Zverev, the youngest qualifier for the season-ender for nine years, appeared to be fading after a dazzling start, but surged back in style to join Federer on top of Boris Becker Group.
Alexander Zverev celebrates winning a point against Marin Cilic at the ATP World Finals. AP
“It is different walking on here than any other stadium. The crowd, the atmosphere is amazing,” Zverev, who revelled on the big stage, told reporters after the late-night finish.
“There were a lot of nerves involved in my first match. Obviously I‘m happy that’s behind me. I‘m happy that I won.”
Zverev possesses huge power off the ground, yet it was his finesse at the net which earned him a break in the opening game, picking off a low drop volley that gave Cilic no chance.
His forehand wavered at times as Cilic cleverly tried to take the pace off the ball with some floaty slices, but Zverev closed out the first set with an ace.
Cilic, back in London since his traumatic Wimbledon final defeat by Federer when he broke down in tears as blisters wrecked his big day, then took control.
The big Croat upped his serving and forehand power to level the match and then led 3-1 in the third set.
At 3-2, he was 40-15 up on serve but Zverev, wound-up by an erroneous over-rule, forged back to break with an exquisite lob.
Cilic then dropped serve to love at 4-5 to lose for the sixth time in seven matches at the year-ender.
Zverev, bidding to become the first German to finish the year in the world’s top three since Boris Becker in 1994, will face a mouthwatering clash with Federer on Tuesday.
Earlier, Federer made a strong start to his bid to cap his golden year with a seventh ATP Tour Finals title as the Swiss star defeated Jack Sock 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Four months after winning Wimbledon for a record eighth time just a few miles across London, Federer is back in the English capital aiming to cap a remarkably successful spell by lifting the silverware at the O2 Arena.
When Federer missed last year's Tour Finals through injury, it seemed possible he would never recapture his former glories.
He came into 2017 having missed half of last season due to fitness problems and was without a Grand Slam title since 2012.
But the 36-year-old has enjoyed a stunning renaissance, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon among seven titles -- more than other male player over the last 11 months.
Federer hasn't triumphed at the season-ending Tour Finals since 2011.
But after seeing off Sock in his group opener, the world number two has now won his last 11 matches.
That dominant streak has already earned him titles in Shanghai and Basel, and he hopes to maintain that hot streak all the way to the Tour Finals crown next weekend.
"It's wonderful to be back, especially after missing last year with injury," Federer said.
"I got off to a great start, but the second set was tight.
"The breaker could have gone either way and in the end he helped me with some mistakes. I'm really happy I got through somehow."
With defending champion Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka all absent from the Tour Finals due to injury, Federer and Rafael Nadal are the unquestioned headline acts.
Having won the French and US Opens this year, Nadal has matched Federer's unexpectedly dominant run as the old rivals hoovered up all four of this year's Grand Slam crowns.
Nadal is already guaranteed to finish as the year-end world number one for the first time since 2013, making the 31-year-old the oldest man to earn that honour.
But Nadal's hopes of finally winning the Tour Finals for the first time could be hampered by injury.
Nadal, twice a Tour Finals runner-up, is due to open his campaign against David Goffin on Monday, however the Spaniard admits he is still struggling with the knee problem that forced him to pull out of the recent Paris Masters.
With inputs from agencies
Published Date: Nov 13, 2017 09:34 am | Updated Date: Nov 13, 2017 10:50 am
