Alexander Zverev received a bit of an odd question following his opening ATP Finals win over Ben Shelton and bluntly responded with a "no" to a reporter when asked if being the oldest participant in Turin helped him complete a two-set win over the younger American rival.
On Sunday, Zverev kicked off his eighth ATP Finals appearance with a 6-3 7-6 (6) triumph over Shelton. Since Novak Djokovic withdrew late from Turin, the 28-year-old German is the oldest participant at this year's tournament edition.
With two breaks, Zverev routinely took the first set. The second set was a much tighter battle as Shelton upped his level and it ultimately went into a tie-break, where the 23-year-old American first held a 4-0 lead, before also having three consecutive set points at 6-3. But just when it seemed that the match was destined to go to a deciding set, the three-time Grand Slam finalist impressively won the next five points to get the job done in straight sets.
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"The other day someone told you that you were the oldest, but to be the oldest means to be more experienced. Tonight you won because of more experience. He made some mistakes that if he was 27 he wouldn't make. Do you agree on that?" one of the questions that the world No. 3 received after his win over Shelton read.
Zverev's response: No, I don't think that
"No, I don't. I think his game style is like that. He makes sometimes unbelievable winners, and sometimes he makes these kind of mistakes. But that's just the way he plays. He's so aggressive that he takes this risk all the time. When I was his age, I was not playing this aggressive. I didn't have these shots. I didn't have this kind of serve. I didn't have this kind of forehand. It's just the game style that he has, I think. It's more about that," Zverev responded.
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The German then also noted that he made some big plays late in the tie-break.
"But to be honest, at 6-3 I did two very good returns. Especially at 6-4 off a first serve. So I made him play. I feel like I deserve credit for that, as well. Again, I felt like I controlled the things well that I could control. That's it," the world No. 3 added.
Zverev is a two-time ATP Finals champion, while Shelton is making his debut at the season-ending tournament.
