Two-time ATP Finals champion, Alexander Zverev, takes on Russia’s Andrey Rublev in his first group-stage match. Zverev has been one of the most consistent performers of this season. Recently, while sharing his thoughts on this tournament, the German stated, “I think coming in and playing one of the best eight players in the world straight off is a very difficult thing to do. You have to be focused, you have to be ready from the get go. I’m looking forward to this week.” Rublev, on the other hand, came in as a replacement for Novak Djokovic. This is a good chance for him to end what has been a pretty ordinary year for him so far in an extraordinary manner! Who’ll win this contest, though?

Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev: Preview

Although Alexander Zverev has won only two titles this season, he has made quite a few deep runs in his previous tournaments in 2024. He started his season by reaching the SF of the AO. Zverev’s first title triumph of this season came at the Italian Open where he defeated Chile’s Nicolas Jarry by 6-4,7-5 in the final match.

After that, he reached the final of the French Open, but over there he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz. Then, he also reached the final of the German Open this year, but his next title triumph came recently at the Paris Masters. In Paris, he defeated France’s Ugo Humbert by 6-2,6-2 in the final.

Andrey Rublev, on the other hand, has also won two titles this season, but he has struggled a bit with his consistency this season. He started his season on a high note by winning the title at the Hong Kong Open and then his next big win came at the Madrid Open, where he defeated Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime in a three-set thriller.

Rublev had to give a walkover in his previous match (QF of the Moselle Open) against Corentin Moutet due to an injury. However, he’s now all set to bring out his A-game against some of the finest in the men’s Tour!

Zverev vs Rublev: Head-to-Head

Both these tennis stars have faced each other nine times in their careers so far. Alexander Zverev leads the H2H scoreline against Andrey Rublev by 6-3.

• 2023 Nitto ATP Finals Round Robin: Zverev 6-4,6-4.
• 2023 Vienna QF: Rublev 6-1,6(5)-7,6-3.
• 2023 Bastad QF: Rublev 6-2,6-3.
• 2023 Dubai SF: Rublev 6-3,7-6(9).
• 2021 ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati Final: Zverev 6-2,6-3.
• 2020 Australian Open R16: Zverev 6-4,6-4,6-4.
• 2019 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai R16: Zverev 6-0,7-6(4).
• 2017 Beijing QF: Zverev 6-2,6-3.
• 2016 ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo R64: Zverev 6-1,6-3.

Prediction: Zverev to win in straight sets

Alexander Zverev’s playing style is perfect for the conditions in Turin. If Andrey Rublev fails to make a good start in this epic contest, then Zverev can literally turn out to be a nightmare for his out-of-form Russian. Looking at Zverev’s overall consistency in this season, it’s very much hard to snub him and pick someone else. He’s not only a favorite in this match, but Alexander Zverev also has a good chance of winning this tournament.

If we take a look at their playing styles now, Alexander Zverev is an aggressive baseliner. He likes to stand far behind the baseline and aims to hit powerful groundstrokes either for winners or to wear down his opponents. His big serve and power-packed game may come in handy on this surface! Zverev has hit a total of 758 aces this season and apart from that he can also generate a lot of power with his backhand and forehand shots. In fact, his backhand is regarded as one of the best in men’s Tour. However, his weaknesses include his volley and overhead techniques.

On the other hand, Andrey Rublev is also an offensive baseliner with a big forehand in his armory. His consistent two-handed backhand is one of his lethal weapons. Even Rublev has hit quite a few aces (558) this season. So, serves are definitely going to play a huge role in this match. However, talking about his weaknesses, Andrey Rublev is often a bit too aggressive in certain situations during his matches and this is why we often see him generating a lot of unforced errors during his matches. Considering all these factors, we feel Alexander Zverev is the favorite candidate to win this contest at the ATP Finals.