Novak Djokovic qualifies for ATP Finals semi-finals after straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev in decisive group showdown

Novak Djokovic was back to his best as he beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in their winner-takes-all round robin match at the ATP Finals on Friday.

The victory means the Serb will face US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon, while Zverev is eliminated from the season finale.

Following the match, Djokovic spoke about the prospect of facing Thiem: ‘His first [Grand] Slam [title] came on hard courts earlier this year in New York. I played him last year here and lost 7-6 in the third set. It was really a thrilling match. Hopefully we can have another great match, but hopefully this time with another outcome.’

The world No 1 asserted his authority early in the match, breaking Zverev’s serve at the first opportunity, to take control of the set.

The German, who took a while to settle in, had two opportunities to break back midway through the opening set but Djokovic served to perfection to win four consecutive points to win the game and stretch his first-set lead to 5-2.

Djokovic was able to serve out the first set 6-3 when his serve next came around.

The match was still very evenly poised, with both players squandering chances to break midway through the second set.

Zverev seemed the more likely to break as the set went on – however, neither player was able to make the decisive breakthrough.

The world No 7 did take an early lead in the tie-break that followed but the 17-time Grand Slam champion managed to fight back.

In contrast to his previous round-robin match against Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic made all the right decisions on the decisive points, earning a mini break at 4-3 in the tie-breaker before serving out the match.

Djokovic was pleased with his progress and spoke after the game about his form: ‘I felt great. Early in the first set he had a couple of break point chances. I managed to serve well in the important moments and contrary to the last match against Daniil, I just managed to find the right shots at the right time. 

‘It was really anybody’s game, I think, for most of the match. In the tie-break I just read his approach from 4/3, then served well when I needed to close out the match.’

The semi-finals take place on Saturday with the winner of Djokovic versus Thiem facing either Rafael Nadal or Medvedev in the final on Sunday.

By Sajidur Rahman