Alexander Zverev's serve and forehand steal the limelight, but don't be fooled: It's his backhand that carries more of the workload, and is relied upon the most to elevate him up the Emirates ATP Rankings. Twenty-year-old Zverev defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday, shaking up the pecking order in the tennis world and surging into the Top 10 along the way. Zverev's serve was impressive in the final. He hit seven aces, winning 84 per cent (27/32) of first serve points and 69 per cent (9/13) of second serve points. He didn't face a single break point for the match. The German's forehand was also strong with five winners, including a 161kmh (100mph)...
Dominic Thiem and Pablo Cuevas produced sensational hot shots en route to quarter-finals upsets earlier this month in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 action. After five days of voting, fans crowned Thiem’s backhand strike against Rafael Nadal at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia as the Clay Masters Golden Hot Shot. It finished with 54 per cent of votes cast, ahead of Cuevas' no-look winner against Alexander Zverev at the Mutua Madrid Open with 23 per cent of votes. View Complete Results For Golden Hot Shot Thiem's hot shot brought up break point for the Austrian, and he promptly capitalised, going on to win three straight games to end Nadal's hopes for the Masters 1000 title treble. Cuevas, meanwhile, turned the...
1. Zverev Shows The Future Is Now Alexander Zverev has long been touted as a future star of the ATP World Tour, but the German proved he’s ready to shine now by taking the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title over Novak Djokovic. The 20 year old is the youngest Masters 1000 title winner in a decade and will hit a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 10 on Monday. Not only is Zverev almost a guaranteed lock to qualify for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan from 7-11 November, but he moves to fourth in the Emirates ATP Race to London as he looks to make his first ATP Finals appearance. Already showing the composure and maturity of a...
Relive the best moments from the 2017 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where Sascha Zverev captured his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Getty Images photo.
Watch Sascha Zverev blast a backhand winner against Novak Djokovic in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia final in Rome. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples / ATP World Tour.