Zverev after win over Thiem - "Rivalry is still developing"

Sunday, 09 May 2021 at 16:00

Alexander Zverev overcame a solid effort from Dominic Thiem to reach the Madrid Open final.

The German is enjoying a stellar week in the Spanish capital defeating players such as Evans, Nadal and Thiem en route to the final. The win over Thiem is a significant one for Zverev who did not have a lot of success against Thiem. His record against Thiem in Madrid is 2-0 but 1-8 everywhere else. After the win he said:

“We have had some fantastic matches. We have played the biggest matches in the world. We have played Masters 1000 finals, we have played Grand Slam finals and [the rivalry] is still developing."

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And indeed somewhat of a rivalry is building up between the two especially after the US Open final last year and the way Thiem came back to win that match. Zverev admitted before his match against Dominic that the loss still stings.

The duo are good friends off the court and spend a lot of time together so Zvereve expressed hope they will play many more matches on the tour:

"It is still going to go on for a few more years. Hopefully, we will play a few more amazing matches.”

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Turning his attention to the final he admitted it would mean a lot to him if he could win it saying:

“It is going to mean a lot to me [if I can win the final]. I am definitely looking forward to it. I am definitely looking forward to playing another big final and I hope I can turn it my way this time.”

Zverev is set to take on Berrettini in the final with the match set to start at 18:30. He holds a 2-1 H2H lead over the Italian who never played in an ATP 1000 Masters final.