Alexander Zverev emerging as top contender for ATP Finals after Cologne

Alexander Zverev’s back-to-back wins in Cologne only strengthened his case as one of the top players on tour since the restart. He’s a formidable threat to win the ATP Finals.

Alexander Zverev has arrived in 2020. It’s possible there was some doubt after his run to the US Open Finals given the circumstances of the event. Now, however, it’s a completely different story. Looking at his entire career up to this point and it’s been plain as day.

At just 23 years old, he’s already captured 13 ATP titles, including three MAdters 1000 titles. With his win at Cologne 1, he now has won at least one title in each of the last five seasons and became the first player to achieve the “Cologne titles” after his 6-2, 6-1 defeat over Diego Schwartzman yesterday.

"“It’s getting better,” Zverev said of his form after the win. “I think we’re going to be on top of the game very soon.”"

It’s certainly a bold claim but there’s no denying that he’s been one of the three or four best players in the world post-restart. A four-set loss in the French Open’s Round of 16 surely didn’t help but it was abundantly clear that he wasn’t 100%. He’s been on a tear ever since and has notched dominating wins over Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and Diego Schwartzman all in straight-sets.

"“Sascha was much better today,” Schwartzman said after losing to Zverev yesterday. “He deserved to win last week here and today he was perfect on court.”"

Overall since the sport’s restart, he’s compiled a 17-3 record (with his only losses coming to Andy Murray in Cincinnati, Dominic Thiem in New York, and Jannik Sinner in Paris). Only Novak Djokovic (19-2) and Dominic Thiem (11-2) have been in the same ballpark as the big-serving 23-year-old.

Zverev’s next shot at a title will be at the Masters 1000 Paris event where he’ll surely have his toughest test yet. He’ll have to go through 5 members of the top ten, including recent French Open champion Rafael Nadal, semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev (who’s gathered 4 ATP titles this year), as well as Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini. It’ll be a huge tipping point for Zverev heading into the ATP Finals as he has yet to reach the finals of the event since winning in 2018.

The Paris Masters begins November 2nd. Currently, five of the world’s top ten (Djokovic, Thiem, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Rublev) are competing in Vienna, while the other remaining members of the top ten await next week’s Masters 1000 event.