Zverev Closes On Djokovic, Medvedev In Race
Alexander Zverev enjoyed a tremendous week at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini to lift his second trophy at the Caja Magica. But not only does the German depart the Spanish capital with a trophy, he is in the thick of the battle in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, which will determine the eight competitors at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 14-21 November.
Zverev arrived in Madrid eighth in the Race, but he has soared into fifth, hot on the heels of third-placed Novak Djokovic and fourth-placed Daniil Medvedev. Zverev now trails Djokovic by only 250 points, and he is within 150 points of Medvedev leading into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings
| Player | Points |
| 1. Stefanos Tsitsipas | 2,930 |
| 2. Andrey Rublev | 2,580 |
| 3. Novak Djokovic | 2,320 |
| 4. Daniil Medvedev | 2,220 |
| 5. Alexander Zverev | 2,070 |
| 6. Aslan Karatsev | 1,595 |
| 7. Hubert Hurkacz | 1,450 |
| 8. Matteo Berrettini | 1,355 |
| 9. Jannik Sinner | 1,265 |
| 10. Rafael Nadal | 1,220 |
“I just won a Masters. It’s my fourth one. I’m happy with that. That’s for me one of the most important things right now,” Zverev said. “Obviously I want to be happy for about 30 seconds, then obviously Rome is next. There [are] still big tournaments coming up.”
The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion is trying to qualify for the season finale for the fifth consecutive year. The player Zverev beat in the Madrid final, Berrettini, has also clawed his way into contention.
The Italian No. 1 is now in eighth place in the Race, 90 points clear of countryman Jannik Sinner, who reached the Miami final earlier this year. Berrettini qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time in 2019.
Earlier in the year, the Rome native struggled with an abdominal injury. But after winning a title in Belgrade and making his impressive run to the Madrid final, Berrettini has put himself in a good position in the Race, and he is focussed on continuing to improve.
“Obviously everybody looks at the Race, but it’s too soon now,” Berrettini said. “The most important thing is to be healthy. Once I’m healthy, I can reach my best level. I think this week just showed that I can play [at] this level.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost against Casper Ruud in the third round at the Caja Magica, still leads the Race with 2,930 points. Andrey Rublev, who also fell in the third round, remains second with 2,580 points.
One of the week’s biggest climbers was semi-finalist Dominic Thiem, who soared 34 places to 22nd after his first tournament since Dubai. The Austrian star has made the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals in each of the past two seasons.