Alexander Zverev didn’t hold back when asked about his ATP Finals group draw. The German star was pretty blunt about whether he’d rather face Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz in Turin.
Zverev got placed in the Bjorn Borg Group with Sinner. That’s tough luck considering the Italian is the defending champion after beating Taylor Fritz in last year’s final.
The world No. 2 was runner-up to Novak Djokovic back in 2023, so he knows what it takes to reach the final.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev | 28 | 6,885 | 34 - 10 |
Alcaraz ended up in Djokovic’s group instead. But here’s the thing – nobody’s really sure if the seven-time champion will even show up. The 38-year-old Serbian is already committed to the 2025 Athens Open, which raises some serious questions about whether he’ll play another event so soon after.
Ben Shelton rounds out Zverev’s group.
The pair face off Sunday evening in what should be an absolute slugfest. Both guys can really serve, so picking a winner is pretty tough.
During the pre-tournament press conference, a reporter asked both Shelton and Zverev who they’d rather have in their group – Sinner or Alcaraz.
Shelton’s been on a brutal losing streak against Sinner. We’re talking 17 straight sets lost, including his most recent match at the 2025 Paris Masters.
But the American stayed diplomatic:
"It’s my first time playing here at this event in Italy. I’m someone who likes big crowds, and feeling the energy of the crowd, whether it’s with me or against me. So, I hoped I was in the group of whatever Italians were in the group to feel that, I thought that would be very cool. I don’t know if that’s the exact answer you were looking for, but I thought it would be a cool experience to play an Italian in Turin."
That answer was careful. Really careful.
What came next from Zverev was the complete opposite.
Shelton immediately dropped his head and started cracking up. Zverev joined in the laughter, and the two shared this knowing look. The American knew exactly how diplomatic he’d sounded compared to his colleague.
It’s refreshing when players just tell the truth. Zverev has said before that Sinner and Alcaraz are the best players in the world right now. But here’s the key detail – Sinner’s been way more successful on indoor hard courts than the Spaniard.
Zverev caused controversy with his comments about Sinner and Alcaraz at the 2025 Shanghai Masters
The courts at this year’s Shanghai Masters were noticeably slower than in 2024. During a post-match interview, Zverev claimed tournament organizers have been deliberately slowing down courts to suit Alcaraz and Sinner.
Those comments generated some serious backlash.
But here’s what made it interesting – Roger Federer said something similar at the 2025 Laver Cup. When one of tennis history’s greatest players makes the same point, it gets even more attention.
The whole controversy got a bit ridiculous when Valentin Vacherot went on an incredible run to win the Shanghai Masters title.
A guy ranked outside the Top 200 before the tournament actually winning the thing? That led to some pretty harsh criticism of Zverev’s court speed theories.
