World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will continue his campaign in London against the German No. 1 Alexander Zverev as the two players will meet in their second match in robin-round. Both the players are hoping for a win here to boost their chances to reach the semis.
The Novak Djokovic v Alexander Zverev 2018 ATP Finals robin-round match will be played on Wednesday, November 14, at 2:00 pm local time (1:00 pm GMT). Watch the Novak Djokovic v Alexander Zverev live streaming here.
Djokovic v Zverev Head to Head
The two players have met only twice in their respective careers and the head-to-head tally is tied evenly at 1-1. Both of those encounters came in high-profile tournaments – the final of 2017 Italian Masters and the semifinal of the 2018 Shanghai Masters.
In the first case, Zverev sailed through with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win while in their most recent encounter in Shanghai, it was Djokovic who evened the field. The Serbian proceeded to the final with a straight-set victory.
A Winning Start for Both the Players
Djokovic and Zverev faced less than some difficulty in starting their respective campaigns on a winning note.
The top seed was against the American No. 1 John Isner, whom he defeated comfortably with 6-4, 6-3 in a little over an hour and 10 minutes. Isner, who qualified for the tournament after Rafael Nadal’s unfortunate withdrawal, could do little to keep his Serbian adversary at bay.
In the first set, the reigning ATP Atlanta champion was broken at 2-2 to hand Djokovic an early lead. Thereafter, he saved a break point at 5-3 to stay in the set but he failed to break the Serb’s service in the next game.
The second set was quite akin to the first set. This time, however, Nole got two breaks – one at 3-3 and the second one at 5-3 to eventually take the match. On Isner’s end, he did try to save two match points but his efforts were in vain.
It was a clinical performance by Djokovic who committed just 6 unforced errors in comparison to Isner’s 26.
As for Zverev, his match against Marin Cilic was far more thrilling. The two players were absolutely even throughout the game with the end result being decided with tiebreakers. Despite a strong resistance by the Croat, Zverev won the match 7-6(5), 7-6(1) in a little over two hours.
In the first set, the German was broken early by Cilic to go down 3-0. At 3-5 however, Cilic, instead of taking the set, handed Zverev the break to squander that important lead. With things even now, the set eventually moved into the tiebreak where the German proved his mettle by holding on strong.
A similar tale was seen in the second set as well. The two players broke each other’s service in quick succession at 3-3 and 3-4. Interestingly, at 5-4, Zverev was on match point on Cilic’s serve to seal the victory right there and then. However, the Croat kept his calm and brought himself back in the game to take the set to another tiebreak.
This tiebreak wasn’t that close, seeing that Cilic lost his service three times to give Zverev an easy win. By the end of the match, both the players had committed their fair share of unforced errors – Cilic at 46 and Zverev at 32.
The Two Players are Evenly Matched
In terms of form and momentum, both the players have had a stellar season. Djokovic, who moved out of the top 20 after a poor start to the season, brought himself back to the World No. 1 position after winning the Wimbledon, US Open, Cincinnati Masters, and Shanghai Masters. He also had a decent run on clay although, the best he could do is reach the penultimate rounds in Italian Open and French Open.
As for the 21-year-old German, he has an incredible amount of energy and confidence with him. Being the World No. 5, he won three titles this year – ATP Washington, ATP Munich, and the Madrid Masters. This year, he was also the runner-up in Miami Masters and Rome Masters.
With a win-loss record of 54-18 as of Paris Masters, Zverev hasn’t done a lot of things wrong this season. However, he still lacks the experience and discipline at times, as evident in his shocking losses to the likes of Marius Copil, Karen Khachanov, and Borna Coric this season.
Final Thoughts on Djokovic v Zverev
It goes without saying that Djokovic has the edge here. He is miles ahead in terms of experience and he appears to be a ruthless form. With just six unforced errors in his previous match, one has to wonder if Zverev can keep up with that kind of efficiency. Nonetheless, the German is capable of delivering shocking results and we may very well see just that here.
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