How Alexander Zverev’s ‘feeling’ left Ugo Humbert reeling in Paris | ATP Tour
Match the Reaction
How Zverev’s ‘feeling’ left Humbert stunned in Paris
The German shows off his ATP Masters 1000 title win
November 03, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev in action on Sunday during the Rolex Paris Masters.
Written by Andy West
Did Alexander Zverev surprise you with the quality of his competitive play on Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters?
Ugo Humbert produced a string of top-quality performances to cheer his home support en route to the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris-Bercy, including a third-round loss to Carlos Alcaraz. The Frenchman was unable to match Zverev’s charge in the title match, however, as Zverev cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory in just 75 minutes.
“No, I didn’t have the feeling that it would be two and two, but actually from the beginning and in the first games, even when I lost in the rallies, I felt that the ball was there. [feeling good] on my racquet,” Zverev reflected in the post-match press conference. “When I have this feeling, I feel good on the court. I feel free and confident, maybe aggressive, I want to shoot more than I usually do.
“It’s important to him. I think he’s one of the best players when he’s aggressive. I think he probably still struggles a little bit when he has to defend, so if I put him in a position where he has to defend, I think that’s a position where I’m comfortable and I’m not. I felt very happy behind the court, and I think for him that was the key today. ”
From Paris, with love 😘#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters | @AlexZverev pic.twitter.com/rnk6WJRrbj
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 3, 2024
The victory in Paris was the perfect confidence builder for Zverev ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals. The 27-year-old will now head to Turin where he will finish off a prestigious season, where he will be making a treble following his triumphs in London in 2018 and in Turin in 2021.
“I think with Turin, everyone is motivated,” said Zverev, when asked about his record at the Nitto ATP Finals. “It’s a special tournament. It is a special situation and feeling when you are there and there are only eight players in the world.
“You feel special when you play there, so I think everyone is motivated. Everyone wants to win this title and play good tennis… You fight all year to get there, so I think when you get there, you will give your best, and so will everyone else. At the end of the day, you’re only playing the eight best players in the world. So there are no easy matches, and you have to play your best tennis from the first match onwards.”
After lifting his seventh Masters 1000 trophy, Zverev will return on Monday to his career-high No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Although reaching No. 1 for the first time is high on the list of goals in Germany, he believes he will only get there by fulfilling another long-held ambition, which he will push for again in 2025 – to become a major champion.
“I think now if everybody is playing and everybody is playing at full strength and everybody is healthy, you have to win Grand Slams to be World No. 1,” Zverev said. “I’m World No. 2 now, but I’m 3,000 points away from Jannik, more or less. I think that without Grand Slams and without Grand Slams points, it won’t happen anymore.”
