Zverev's loss to Fritz: A sting that lingers in ATP finals

Germany’s Alexander Zverev has revealed that recent defeat to America’s Taylor Fritz will ‘hurt’ him the most. The reigning world number two’s 2024 season came to an end as he lost to the new world number four in the semifinal of the ongoing ATP Finals.

The last major event in men’s tennis is now moving towards the final stage. In the last-four clash, the 2024 US Open runner-up Fritz came out on top against the Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. It was not the first time when the Hamburg-born star lost to Fritz this year, in fact, it was the fourth consecutive occasion.

Their first meeting this year came in the fourth round at Wimbledon, where the world number four came out on top in a five-set thriller with a score of 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3. The two then next faced off in the quarterfinal of the US Open, where once again, Fritz emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3). Their most recent between before the semifinal clash in the in Turin was in the Laver Cup where the 27-year-old won the contest in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-5.

Zverev has been quoted in a report, in which he talked about the impact of the most recent result against Fritz. The 2024 French Open runner-up was of the opinion that one thing which would make this defeat hurt more than the previous results was the fact that he was in a good position in the third set but could not seal the desired result.

"I think this one will hurt maybe a bit more because again, as I said, I thought I played at a decent level and I had more chances generally in the third set,” he said. “I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That's where I kind of blew it. This one will hurt more than the other few."