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German chasing seventh Masters 1000 title
November 02, 2024
Highlights: Zverev outlasts Rune, charges into Paris 2024 final
Watch Alexander Zverev advance to his 12th ATP Masters 1000 final on Saturday at the Rolex Paris Masters. Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour. Watch live & on demand at TennisTV.com.

Alexander Zverev reached his first hard-court final of the season on Saturday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he overcame former champion Holger Rune to end the Dane’s faint Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

The German recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, resisting a late fightback from Rune to eventually earn a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory after one hour and 47 minutes.

With his 65th win of the season, Zverev drew level with Jannik Sinner for the most victories on Tour in 2024, while he has climbed one spot to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, passing Carlos Alcaraz.

"I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he is a champion. It is probably his favourite tournament and favourite court, but I am happy to be in my second final here," Zverev said. "I am looking forward to it."


Zverev is a former finalist in Paris, having lost in the title match in 2020 to Daniil Medvedev. The 27-year-old is chasing his seventh ATP Masters 1000 crown and first hard-court trophy above ATP 250 level since he won the Nitto ATP Finals in 2021.

Zverev, who will compete at the prestigious year-end event in Turin, to be held from 10-17 November, will meet French star Ugo Humbert or former champion Karen Khachanov in the Paris final on Sunday.

ATP Tour Win Leaders 2024

Jannik Sinner 65-6 (W/L)
Alexander Zverev 65-20
Carlos Alcaraz 52-11
Taylor Fritz 49-21
Casper Ruud 49-22
Zverev led Rune 5-3 in the second set and looked set for a comfortable victory on Court Central, having dominated for large periods. However, Rune held serve and then broke Zverev’s serve for the first time in the match when trailing 4-5. The Dane then held in a mammoth 12-minute game but Zverev refused to fade.

The German, who hit 25 winners and won 84 per cent (37/44) of his first-serve points in the match according to Infosys ATP Stats, forced a tie-break and upped his aggression and intensity in the closing stages to advance.

Rune won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Paris two years ago when he beat Novak Djokovic in the title match. The Dane needed to lift the trophy in the French capital once again to keep alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Zverev, who has advanced to 12 ATP Masters 1000 finals, leads Rune 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the 21-year-old at Roland Garros and in Montreal earlier this season.

Did You Know?
Zverev will play for his fifth different ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday. He has won Madrid twice, Rome twice, Montreal once and Cincinnati once.

German set to compete in 12th Masters 1000 final
November 02, 2024
The German is chasing a seventh Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
The German is chasing a seventh Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters.
By ATP Staff
The grind never stops for Alexander Zverev.

After securing a comprehensive semi-final victory over former champion Holger Rune at the Rolex Paris Masters Saturday, Zverev headed to the practice court, looking for incremental improvement that he hopes will allow him to challenge the duopoly at the top of the men's game.

“For me, it's about improving a few things. I feel like Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] are doing a few things better than me at the moment. I want to improve,” said Zverev.

“I want to improve not for tomorrow, not for today, or because of the matches I played here. I want to generally improve for next year as well.”

With his win over Rune, Zverev notched his 65th win of the year and tied Sinner for the most wins on Tour this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He also overtook Alcaraz and climbed to the No. 2 spot in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The German believes they are still at a higher level and that he needs to work hard to catch up.

“It's nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far. Of course, I want to get higher. But for me, Jannik has [had] the best year this season, and Carlos had the second-best year. He won two Grand Slams,” he shared.

“I know that I'm ahead of him in the rankings, but he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Those are two massive titles. So, they are still the two best players in the world, in my opinion, at the moment.”

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The 27-year-old, who is set to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November in Turin, is strategising to keep up with his two biggest rivals, and is focusing on increasing his intensity to match the level of aggression that they bring to their respective games.

“I think when they get an easy ball, when they're in an attacking position, 90 per cent of the time the point is over, whether it's a winner or an unforced error. That's how hard they hit the ball, that's how aggressive they are. I think in that aspect I can improve. That's what I'm trying to do,” he said.

“Jannik has improved a lot this year. There are some things Carlos has improved. I think Novak, over the past 15, [or] 20 years, has improved every single year. If you ask him whether he's a better tennis player last year, let's say 2023 or 2022 even, or 10 years ago when he was younger, I think he would say that he's a better tennis player now.”

After suffering a serious ankle injury at the 2022 Roland Garros and continuing to recover from it in 2023, the 27-year-old is pleased to return to his best level. Fresh off his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2020 US Open, Zverev had won six tour-level titles in 2021, including the Nitto ATP Finals, and was midway through one of the best Roland Garros semi-finals of the Open Era with Nadal with tragedy struck.

“There was a period where it was moving towards the direction of a little bit of a change, and then 2022 I felt like I was going [in] a very good direction at Roland Garros. I was going [to] hopefully to achieve my dream of winning Roland Garros. I was No. 2 in the world. I was very close to becoming World No. 1, as well. It was going in that direction, and then there was a two-year stop to that process. [For] two years I was not competitive for Grand Slams, not competitive for World No. 1 and those things,” he said.

“So I'm happy to be back where I am. “There was never a guarantee that I would be back at this level. For sure for me, it's a great satisfaction to be back, but again, I want to improve and I want to go even higher.”

The German, chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title, will play Frenchman Ugo Humbert in his 12th Masters final in Paris on Sunday.

German clinches seventh ATP Masters 1000 title
November 03, 2024
Alexander Zverev produces a clinical performance to win the Rolex Paris Masters.
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev produces a clinical performance to win the Rolex Paris Masters.
By Jerome Coombe
Alexander Zverev was in no mood for a French fairytale on Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters. The 27-year-old had his own story to write.

The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings produced a near-flawless performance to defeat home hope Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match and claim his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title. Zverev was relentless in every department, but particularly behind his own serve, from which he dropped just five points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I knew I had to play like this to win today,” said Zverev, who improved to 23-13 in tour-level finals. “Ugo is an incredible player, but here in Paris, he plays even better than he usually does and I knew that. Once the crowd gets involved, it’s going to be difficult. So, I had to take that away early, and I did, so I’m happy about that.”

In the 39th and final edition of the tournament at the Accor Arena, before its relocation to La Défense Arena, Zverev became the second German to win in Paris after Boris Becker. It was Zverev’s second ATP Tour title of 2024 (Rome) and Tour-leading 66th triumph of the year, moving him ahead of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner (65-6).

Humbert, who is now 6-2 in tour-level finals, was bidding to become the first Frenchman to triumph in Paris since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008. The 26-year-old, however, failed to gain a foothold in his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final.

“I’m extremely happy to have played in this final,” said Humbert, who is up to No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings with his run to the final. “To have my family and team with me the whole week has been incredible. It’s for moments like this why I do this every day, why I train.”

More to follow...

German reflects on his title win at ATP Masters 1000
November 03, 2024
Alexander Zverev in action on Sunday during the Rolex Paris Masters championship match.
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev in action on Sunday during the Rolex Paris Masters championship match.
By Andy West
Did Alexander Zverev surprise even himself with the quality of his championship-match display Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters?

Ugo Humbert had delivered a series of classy performances that channelled his stirring home support en route to the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris-Bercy, including against Carlos Alcaraz in the third round. The Frenchman could do nothing to counter Zverev’s charge in the title showdown, however, and Zverev raced to a 6-2, 6-2 triumph in just 75 minutes.

“No, I didn't have a feeling it was going to be two and two, but actually from the start and from the rallies in the first games, even when I lost the rallies, I felt like the ball was [feeling good] on my racquet,” reflected Zverev in his post-match press conference. “When I have this feeling, I feel well on the court. I feel comfortable and confident, maybe being a bit more aggressive, going for more shots than I usually do.

“Against him, it was important. I think he's one of the best players when he's aggressive. I think he maybe struggles a bit still when he has to defend, so when I put him in a position where he has to defend, I think that's a position where I'm comfortable and he's not. I felt great off the back of the court, and I think against him that was the key today.”


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 for the prestigious season finale, where he is bidding to become a three-time titlist after his victories in 2018 in London and 2021 in Turin.

“I think for Turin, everybody becomes motivated,” said Zverev, when asked about his record at the Nitto ATP Finals. “It's such a special tournament. It's such a special atmosphere and feeling when you're there and only eight players in the world are there.

“You feel special already playing there, so I think everybody is motivated. Everybody wants to win this title and play good tennis… You're fighting all year to make the cut there, so I think once you're there, you're going to give it your best, and everybody else will as well. At the end of the day, you're only playing the best eight players in the world. So there are no easy matches, and you have to play your best tennis from the first match on.”

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After lifting his seventh Masters 1000 trophy, Zverev will on Monday return to his career high of No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. While reaching No. 1 for the first time is high on the German’s list of goals, he believes he will only get there by fulfilling another long-held ambition, one that he will again push towards in 2025 — to become a major champion.

“I think now when everybody is playing and everybody is playing at full strength and everybody is healthy, you have to win Grand Slams to become World No. 1,” said Zverev. “I'm World No. 2 now, but I'm 3,000 points away from Jannik, more or less. I think without the Grand Slams and without the points of the Grand Slams, it's not possible anymore.”