'Ridiculous': Star pulls off 'shot of his career' in stunning ATP Finals win

Alexander Zverev take a bow.

The two-time ATP Finals champion delivered a contender for shot of the year as he took down Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.

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In their opening Red Group encounter at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin, Zverev was too good for the Spanish superstar as he claimed the 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

Having won the end of year event in 2018 and 2021, Zverev is out to secure his third victory at the prestigious tournament.

But it was one moment in the deciding set that the German star left jaws on the floor and had those watching on in disbelief.

Alcaraz forced his rival out wide and charged into the net, but Zverev delivered a shot you have to see to believe.

Lunging to his left the seventh seed struck a perfect backhand down the line that just clipped the line and won him the point. Alcaraz could do nothing but look back stunned at his coaches box.

Tennis journalist Ricky Dimon wrote: “Just a ridiculous BH pass by Zverev.”

Fellow journalist Jose Morgado wrote: “WHAT??? Alexander Zverev just his the best shot of his career.”

Wimbledon champion Alcaraz has struggled with lower back and left foot problems which had kept him out of action since the Shanghai Masters in early October.

He was then dumped out early at the Paris Masters by Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin and flagged towards the end of a bruising contest with giant Zverev.

Zverev is tough opposition on hard courts like the one at the Pala Alpitour and made full use of his height and power to see off Alcaraz and take the lead in the Red Group.

The 26-year-old rattled off 16 aces and was only broken once over the course of an impressive win in which he hit more winners and made significantly fewer unforced errors than out-of-sorts Alcaraz.

“Against Carlos I’m not somebody who’s going to win a lot of baseline rallies so I knew that I had to serve well, to hit a lot of aces, I knew that I had to make a make a lot of first serves … it paid off in the end,” said Zverev.

Before Zverev’s win, Novak Djokovic was presented with the trophy for finishing the season as world number one, a position he secured after winning his thrilling Green Group opener with Holger Rune, a match which lasted more than three hours.

Djokovic is red-hot favourite to claim his seventh Finals title which would put him out on his own as the record winner, one ahead of retired great and old rival Roger Federer.

“Winning Grand Slams and being number one in the world are probably the pinnacles of the sport,” said Djokovic on court.

“It’s been a very long year for all the players and to be able to stand here is a blessing.” Later on Tuesday, 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev faces fellow Russian Andrey Rublev in the day’s other Red Group match.

- with AFP