Rivalries of 2024: Alcaraz vs. Zverev
To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week, we are looking at the best rivalries of the year.
It was only fitting that two of the standout performers on the ATP Tour in 2024, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, shared the honours in their hotly contested rivalry.
The pair met on four occasions, with Zverev turning up the dial in their final clash of the year, improving to 6-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series (2-2 in 2024) with Alcaraz. Their rivalry hit new heights this year at Roland Garros, where Alcaraz and Zverev met in an absorbing clash.
As part of our annual season-in-review series, ATPTour.com looks back across the four encounters between Alcaraz and Zverev.
[ATP AWARDS]Australian Open QFs, Zverev d. Alcaraz 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4
Zverev and Alcaraz took notably different routes to their encounter in the last eight in Melbourne. While Zverev had endured a gruelling journey, battling through 17 sets to secure his spot, Alcaraz cruised through his opening four matches, surrendering only one set on the way.
Despite the physical toll of his earlier matches, Zverev showed no signs of fatigue when he stormed to a commanding 6-1, 6-3, 5-2 lead. On the cusp of victory that would secure his spot in a seventh major semi-final, Zverev began to falter under the pressure.
Alcaraz seized the opportunity with inspired shotmaking to win five of the next six games and spark hopes of an epic comeback. However, Zverev regrouped and delivered a near-flawless fourth set, landing 88 per cent of his first serves to cross the finish line.
<img alt=”Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/22/11/57/zverev-alcaraz-rivalries-2024-ao.jpg” />Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz embrace at the Australian Open. (Photo Credit: Martin Keep/Getty Images)
The triumph was a significant breakthrough for Zverev, who secured his maiden win over a Top 5 opponent at a Grand Slam, having fallen short on the previous 10 occasions.
“When you’re so close to winning, your brain starts going and it is not always helpful, but I’m happy that I got there in the end,” said Zverev, who would go on to suffer a heartbreaking defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after leading two sets to love.
Indian Wells QFs, Alcaraz d. Zverev 6-3, 6-1
Alcaraz and Zverev’s clash in the desert will perhaps be remembered for the events that caused a one-hour, 48-minute delay in the early stages of the match.
It was not just forehand winners, 12 to be precise, that Alcaraz swatted en route to his emphatic victory over Zverev. The Spaniard was also forced to fend off a bee invasion, which required a local beekeeper to be called to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
“I saw the sky and there were thousands [of bees] flying, stuck in my hair, going to me. It was crazy,” Alcaraz said of the bizarre incident.
Upon resumption, the defending champion began to produce the tennis he has been accustomed to in Indian Wells. Alcaraz injected his trademark flair and eased past Zverev.
The young Spaniard would go on to defeat Jannik Sinner and Medvedev en route to lifting the trophy for a second consecutive year, extending his winning streak to 12 matches at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Roland Garros F, Alcaraz d. Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
Both Alcaraz and Zverev overcame significant hurdles to reach the championship match at Roland Garros. Alcaraz brushed aside doubts caused by a forearm injury that had sidelined him for Monte-Carlo and Rome, while Zverev ended his five-match skid in major semi-finals to reach his second Slam title match.
In a pendulum-swinging contest, Alcaraz saved his most clutch tennis for the fifth set, during which he saved all five break points faced to maintain his perfect 3-0 record in major finals. The 21-year-old’s quality of return allowed him to limit Zverev’s aggression behind his booming serve. Alcaraz ran away with 12 of the final 15 games to become the youngest man to win a major on all three surfaces.
“It has been incredible work,” said Alcaraz to his team at the trophy ceremony. “There were a lot of doubts coming here and practising not too much [due to the injury]. I am really grateful to have the team that I have and the people I have around.”
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/22/12/14/alcaraz-french-open-zverev-rivalries.jpg” />Carlos Alcaraz in action against Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros. (Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Nitto ATP Finals RR, Zverev d. Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-4
After the heartbreaking defeat suffered in Paris, Zverev welcomed the opportunity to earn revenge over Alcaraz in Turin, where the Rolex Paris Masters champion was heading into their final round-robin clash on a seven-match winning streak.
Zverev, who had won each of his two prior Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Alcaraz on indoor hard courts, ensured he guarded that form with a straight-sets victory. The 27-year-old was relentless in all aspects throughout the one-hour, 57-minute battle. Zverev carved out eight break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and kept his serve intact for the fourth consecutive match.
“He beat me too many times this year in important matches, so I’m happy that I got this one,” reflected Zverev after his triumph.
Zverev’s winning streak and pursuit of a third Nitto ATP Finals title came to an end in the semi-finals, where he endured his fourth straight defeat to American Taylor Fritz.