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*Sinner 2-1 Zverev Zverev makes 0-15, but then nets a return; not something he can really afford to do, given the quantity of balls he won’t be able to get back – the next one, for example, and the one after, an ace; 40-15. And another quick point secures the hold, Sinner starting to settle.
Sinner 1-1 Zverev* At change of ends, Sinner tells the umpire he needs sawdust as his racket is slipping, and who’d be surprised if, after fighting through an eight-minute hold saving two break points, he gets it done here? Zverev begins with a service winner and follows up with an ace, but at 40-0, Sinner vaporises a forehand inside-out and into the corner. he then overhits one, though, so we’re level at 1-1 and so far, this is a good contest.
*Sinner 1-0 Zverev (*denotes server) At 15-all, we focus in on a small bald man who looks not unlike Moby; he’s taking photo with flash. Anyway, who w nts to hear my Moby anecdote? A friend of mine was in New York and got chatting to people in the club, one of whom said come back to mine. So he went, ans there are all these Moby gold discs on the wall. Wow, you must really like Moby, says my mate; “I am Moby,” says Moby. Meantime, Zverev puts together a decent point, set up with a backhand down the line; Sinner’s attempted pass falls long, but he responds with an ace; 30-all. Zverev, though, again deploys the backhand down the line, which helps him to 30-40 … and again, Sinner responds with a soul-crushing ace that makes deuce. Another, down the T like its predecessors, raises advantage, but a leaping backhand into the net restores parity. Already, you kind of feel like Zverev needs to break here, while the going’s good and to feel like there’s a way, and when Sinner overhits a forehand, he’s a second break point. Will he gamble on the serve down the middle? He doesn’t, and another ace, the fourth of the game, flies past him, and from there, the hold is secured.
Sinner to serve, ready … play.
Does Zverev believe he can win this? I’m not sure but leaning no; he must start well, because there’s not a chance he does it from behind.
It’s almost time … and out they come, the crowd going wild for Sinner. This arena is proper, steeply banked so it feels like everyone is on top of the action, and it makes a right racket.
Sinner, by the way, has won 27 indoor hard-court matches in a row. The predictable bounce is perfect for the way he moves and hits and in Turin, the thinner air is also helpful, giving the ball even greater pace. Zverev, though, quite likes all of that too, so we’ll see.
Talking of Felix, how on earth could he go three hard sets just two days after limping through the second against Sinner? These lads are so fit it’s ridiculous, and I really hope he’s maturing into the best version of himself.
This tournament properly kicked into action yesterday, with two astoundingly good matches. If Zverev is at it tonight, we might well get more of the same tonight. We’l talk about it more tomorrow night, but you really have to feel for poor old Demon who, like Zverev – and Andrey Rublev – has had enough of his best not being good enough. Elite sport is haaaaard.
If Sinner wins tonight, he’s through and Shelton is out; Zverev would play Auger-Aliassime for the second spot. If Zverev wins in two, he goes through.
The effect playing Sinner can have on your mood, part II:
The effect playing Sinner can have on your mood, part I”
Sinner, meanwhile, will look to attack Zverev’s forehand. I’d expect to see him hit at it corner to corner, as well as with his backhand down the line, trying to keep the ball low over the net. He knows, though, he doesn’t exactly need a strategy: if he plays well, he wins
So how does Zverev make it happen? Well, he has to serve at close to his best, which feels eminently possible. And otherwise, he’ll want to target Sinner’s second delivery, as well as hitting his backhand hard and flat down the line, making Sinner hit forehands from the corner and on the run, with time taken away from him. It’s also worth noting that he’s improved his volleying, so he might come in behind some of those – and behind some of his serves – to keep his opponent guessing.
Preamble
Evening all and welcome to the ATP Tour Finals 2025 – day four!
Writing these preambles, it’s hard not to fall into a trap of detailing how and why the latest challenger could and might beat Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz, then saying, yeah, no chance, sorry. Well, here we are again.
And yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. In the opening round of matches, Felix Auger-Aliassime gave Sinner plenty until he got injured, just as yesterday, Taylor Fritz was better than Alcaraz for the best part of two sets. On the other hand and despite it all, the big two both won, comfortably in the end.
Alexander Zverev, though, is a different proposition … or is he? No one without a grand slam title has come closer to seizing one and, for several years, he seemed certain that he’d get there eventually. But then in the final of this year’s Australian Open, Sinner took him apart so surgically and mercilessly that it seemed to kill something inside him, and he’s been dealing with the PTSD ever since.
Until, perhaps, this week. On Sunday night, he played really well in seeing off Ben Shelton, celebrating with such fervour it felt possible that, in those moments, he healed. His serve and backhand remain two of the biggest and best shots in the game and though we can be sure his backhand and net-play will be tested this evening, for the first time since Melbourne, he might feel he has a chance.
Play: 8.30pm GMT, 7.30pm local
