Alexander Zverev claimed his first win as world No 1 with a straight-sets victory over rising star Rafael Jodar at the ATP Finals.
Overcoming Early Struggles
Zverev rose to top spot at the start of November but began his reign by becoming the first player to lose his first match as ATP No 1 in straight sets, in a defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters. He produced a much better performance against Jodar in his opening match in Turin, however, seeing off the talented 20-year-old – who was making his debut at the tournament – 6-4 6-4.
The 29-year-old, who walked on court sporting a gold racquet bag and jacket emblazoned with a giant number 1, said: “I think it was a solid match. I don’t think it was perfect, but I think it’s a very good start to the tournament.”
Dominant Serving Performance
The German’s serve has been a major contributing factor to the most successful year of his career to date and it only came under threat once against Jodar. As he served for the opening set he was forced to save two break points, firing down four unreturnable serves to put him in control.
He landed 88 per cent of his first serves in the first set and did not produce a single double fault. Jodar reached Turin after a truly astonishing first season on the ATP Tour, in which he set a record for the shortest time between making his Tour debut and breaking into the top 10 in the world: just 287 days.
Zverev has twice won the ATP Finals, in 2018 and 2021, and is among the favourites alongside the in-form Carlos Alcaraz, who opens his campaign on Monday. He will play either Arthur Fils or Ben Shelton in his next round-robin match, with the pair playing each other later on Sunday.
