Alexander Zverev produced a vintage display to win his opening ATP Finals match against Ben Shelton.
Zverev came into the event with a fitness concern, but it does seem as though he’s on the path to recovery after this display against the American.
It would appear as though Zverev was pleased with his performance against Shelton, and there were some factors that screamed that the German is keen to get back to his best after a turbulent year.
Recently, Zverev created unwanted tennis history, but after winning this match, a positive stat emerged about the 28-year-old, and it was addressed after he beat Shelton.
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Alexander Zverev addresses his matches against left-handed players
Zverev has a quite a remarkable record against left-handed players, winning 36 of the last 37 matches he’s played against players of that nature.
After he won his first match against the left-handed Shelton, Zverev was asked about playing those types of players, and he discussed what he thinks about the statistic, which was news to him.
He said in his press conference: “Look, I think lefties are difficult always. When Rafa was around, I don’t think this record was for me like this (smiling). I think there were a couple of years where there weren’t, like, great lefties around, right? After Rafa, there was a period where there weren’t any top-10 players who were lefties.
“Now, of course, with Draper and Ben Shelton, also Humbert, he can play amazingly well. There are some good lefties again. Learner Tien is playing amazing tennis as well. So I think there are great tennis players, as well.
“I grew up with a lefty with my brother. I was practising with him all my life. If you talk about a typical lefty, he could not be more of a typical lefty if you try. With his serve, how he was playing his slice, how he’s playing tennis, it was the most lefty game possible. I kind of got used to it. Maybe it helps me now.”
The one match that he did lose was a strange one for Zverev, and it came against the odds against one of the game’s up-and-coming stars.
What Zverev said about his only defeat to a left-hander in 37 matches
The defeat came back in February and came against Learner Tien, who has enjoyed a superb maiden campaign on the ATP Tour.
He’s beaten some of the top players in the world, including Zverev in February during a tournament in Acapulco.
Zverev was beaten in straight sets that day but he delivered a brutally honest verdict on that match when asked about it at the ATP Finals.
He said: “The only one I lost was against Learner Tien in Acapulco, which was the worst match I played in the last five years.”
Zverev was down 0-4 and 3-6 in the second set tie-break against Shelton, and the fact that he managed to beat such a good player from a position of despair should give him confidence that his form is starting to pick up.
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