Alexander Zverev put in a strong performance against defending champion Jannik Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin yesterday and it is likely that he did not deserve to lose quite clearly, considering that he had more break points than his opponent.
At the same time, everyone noticed the huge difference between these two players in the decisive moments. The Italian ace has always been impeccable when under pressure and has also found a lot of help from his serve, a shot he has improved exponentially after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final at the end of the summer.
The German champion - for his part - made several errors when he should have made the difference and suffered his fifth defeat in a row against the former world number 1. Sascha who has played a season below expectations given the initial premises has not won against the 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria since the round of 16 of the 2023 US Open.
Sascha lost again
In his press conference after the match, the current world number 3 wanted to point out that the score did not faithfully reflect what had been seen on the court and added that he hopes to face the Italian star again in the final at the Inalpi Arena.
Speaking on 'Eurosport', WTA legend and current top analyst Justine Henin expressed some very honest considerations analyzing the loss suffered by Alexander yesterday: "From my point of view, this defeat represents a hard blow for Zverev. The match that had been played at the Paris Masters 1000 had not been reliable due to Sascha's condition, instead we all had the feeling that it could put the Italian ace in serious difficulty here in Turin.
The feeling is that Jannik always makes the difference in decisive moments, unlike Alexander who tends to loosen up. I perceived a significant psychological advantage of Sinner over Zverev. The German player put in a good performance yesterday, but his opponent was too solid in the important points."
