The controversial ATP Finals incident which left Roger Federer defending a ‘really upset’ Alexander Zverev after crowd anger
As the ATP Finals approaches once more, Alexander Zverev’s recent Paris Masters title puts him in pole position.
The eight players heading to Turin were finally confirmed on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic announced he was pulling out the year-end finale.
Despite being the defending champion, Djokovic’s withdrawal now means it is the first year since 2001 where none of the proverbial ‘Big Three’ will be competing at the Finals.
Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev have claimed the final three singles positions at the ATP Finals, with top seed and home favourite Jannik Sinner headlining.
Out of all eight competitors, Daniil Medvedev and recent Paris Masters champion Alexander Zverev are the only men to have won the tournament before.
The German has struck twice, in 2021 and 2018 – a year that saw a drama-filled semi-final contest between Zverev and Roger Federer in front of a buoyant London crowd.
The controversial ATP Finals incident between Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev
A match that was meant to tee up a final between Federer and Djokovic ended in disarray, with the then 37-year-old forced to defend the German debutant.
Some of Federer’s fans booed the young German following major controversy in the second-set tiebreak.
During a critical point at 4-3 to Federer, Zverev stopped play after spotting a ball that had rolled out of a ball boy’s hand, distracting him mid-rally.
When the point was replayed, Zverev struck an ace, ultimately setting himself up to close the match.
He secured victory with a decisive volley soon after, but the crowd’s reaction was harsh, with boos and jeers drowning out Zverev’s on-court interview as many fans felt the replayed point gave him an unfair edge.
Federer at the time made clear his stance defending Zverev, claiming he didn’t ‘deserve’ the booing.
The then 21-year-old Zverev became the first German to reach the final of the prestigious season-ending event since Boris Becker in 1996, eventually going on to beat the Serb to the crown.
Alexander Zverev is primed to cap off a positive end to the 2024 season
Zverev is well-positioned to finish the 2024 season on a high at the ATP Finals. Earlier in the year, he might have looked back with disappointment, having missed a prime chance at his first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
He also couldn’t defend his Olympic gold and fell short at the US Open, where early exits from Djokovic and Alcaraz presented a rare path to the final.
However, the German rebounded spectacularly, with Zverev claiming his seventh Masters title in Paris and climbing back up to the world number two ranking.
His late-season surge has earned him serious praise, with Ivan Ljubicic labelling him Sinner’s biggest threat in the ATP Finals.
Now, the German has his sights set on securing a remarkable third crown.
