Fresh off the completion of his five-stop exhibition game tour in Latin America, German tennis star Alexander Zverev is on a high. The tour held right after the ATP Finals in London, had Zverev and Roger Federer fly to five different cities within six days. Both players did not participate in the Davis Cup (held around the same time), so they had the luxury to stage their own set of events.
Alexander Zverev grateful for Latin American tour experience
Zverev has expressed how thankful he is of the experience he had in the five countries they visited. Throughout the six days that they were together, he had gotten to know Federer on a more personal level. He also said that he and the Swiss Maestro had talked about a lot of things in life during their tour.
He is especially glad that Federer’s company Team8 invited him to participate in one of the most expansive exhibition tours in recent memory. It was his first time visiting some of the countries that he went to, which he deeply enjoyed.
Federer, Zverev’s five-city performance
Zverev and Federer started their tour of Latin America with a match in Chile. The MoviStar Arena in Santiago was filled with more than 11,000 Chilean fans that saw the world no. 3 defeat Zverev 6-3 4-6 6-4.
The younger player then got back at the Swiss Maestro after he beat him 7-6 7-6 in the Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires. Around 12,000 people watched the match, which would have been between Federer and Argentinian player Juan Martin Del Potro. However, Del Potro had to pull out of the commitment weeks before the game. Zverev had to replace him as a result.
After that, the two flew to Bogota for their third match. But the game did not push through because the government installed a curfew due to the ongoing protests. Both players promised that they will try hard to come back to the country to make up to their fans.
Their next stop broke ticket sale records in Mexico City. Around 42,000 people packed into the Plaza del Toros to watch Federer win over Zverev 6-3 4-6 6-2. The sheer amount of people who attended represents the biggest attendance to a game in tennis history.
The former world no.1 beat the young German again at 6-3 6-4 in Ecuador’s Ruminahui Coliseum. Federer showed off his famous skills in front of a 14,000-strong audience.
Federer, Zverev’s cordial rivalry
The two players have maintained a cordial relationship with each other. Zverev describes Federer as one of his idols. In fact, they were seen playing in New York in August as they were both prepping for the U.S. Open. Federer, meanwhile, counts Zverev as among the young players that will break the dominance of the Big Three.
Right now, Federer is preparing for the 2020 tennis season while Zverev has been seen enjoying his short break with rumored girlfriend Olga Sharypova.
Alexander Zverev’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.7, Alexander played his last match on the 16th of November when he capitulated to Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-3 in the semifinal in London.
This year Zverev has a 41-24 win-loss record. Alexander clinched 1 title in Geneva. Alexander was the finalist in Acapulco and in Shanghai.
Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, Roger played his last match on the 16th of November when he surrendered to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London.
This year Federer has a 51-10 win-loss record. Federer clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami, in Halle and in Basel. Federer was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.
Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer played each other 10 times. The head to head is 5-5.
The last time that they squared off, Alexander Zverev won 6-3 6-77 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai on the 11th October 2019.
Here the highlights.
Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer |
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