Alexander Zverev is the No. 7 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and has lifted 11 trophies from 18 ATP Tour championship matches since 2016.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 6’6” German.

1) His Biggest Success Came In London
At the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, Zverev produced back-to-back straight-sets wins against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to become the youngest champion at the elite eight-man event in a decade. The 11-time ATP Tour titlist advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 round-robin record and found his best level to become the first man to beat Federer and Djokovic at the same edition of the event.

“It’s quite astonishing, winning this title, beating two such players back-to-back, Roger and Novak, in semi-finals and final,” said Zverev. “It means so much. I’m incredibly happy and incredibly proud of this moment right now.”

2) He Is In Great ATP Masters 1000 Company
Zverev is the only active player outside the Big Four of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray to own three Masters 1000 trophies. The German captured his first Masters 1000 crown at the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, beating Djokovic in straight sets in the final.

Zverev doubled his trophy count at the level at his next available opportunity with a straight-sets victory against Federer in the 2017 Coupe Rogers final. In one of the greatest weeks of his career, Zverev added a third Masters 1000 title to his collection after cruising through the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open draw without dropping serve.

3) He Has A Familiar Quarantine Buddy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zverev has been quarantining in Florida with a familiar face: Marcelo Melo. The pair has been good friends since 2015 and are often seen together when competing at the same tournaments on the ATP Tour.

During an Instagram live session last month, Zverev jokingly reflected on their first meeting at the 2015 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

“He was in the locker room by himself. He’s always in the locker room by himself. He never had that many friends. I was this new guy, I was 18. Everybody kept warning me [about] him. I was like, ‘Nah, he looks like he’s okay,’” said Zverev. “I was like, ‘Hey buddy, you want to have lunch?’ He was so happy, because finally somebody wanted to become friends with him, and I took him on. Every stranded puppy needs a home, so I take care of him.”

4) He Is A Big Fan Of Basketball
When Zverev is not busy on the tennis court, his eyes may be focussed on a basketball court. The 23-year-old is a keen follower of the Miami Heat and had the chance to meet the NBA team’s former shooting guard Dwyane Wade during the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau.

When Wade retired from the sport last year, Zverev paid tribute to the three-time NBA champion on Instagram and named the American his ‘favourite athlete of all time’.

Introducing new @MiamiHEAT power forward, Alexander #Zverev

What do you think, @DwyaneWade? ??#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/P7EkeUyAvm

— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 22, 2018

5) He Is A Dog Lover
In the age-old debate between cats and dogs, Zverev stands firmly on the side of dogs. Despite already owning a canine companion, Lovik, Zverev adopted a second dog at the 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau following a visit to the Humane Society of Greater Miami.

Later in the year, Zverev’s collection of dogs expanded even further. The German took to Twitter to proudly show off his ‘grandchildren’ after Lovik became a father.

I’m a grandpa? #lovikfam pic.twitter.com/z5fTfsUl8j

— Alexander Zverev (@AlexZverev) September 6, 2019

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 4 May 2015. 

Andy Murray captured his first clay-court ATP Tour title at the 2015 BMW Open by FWU.

Then the World No. 3, he won a rain-interrupted Munich final, carried over from Sunday to Monday due to rain, with a 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(4) victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber in three hours and four minutes. The German has since won a record third title at the event.

Murray, who at the time improved to 32-16 in tour-level finals, received €80,000 in prize money and earned 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points. He became the first British player to win a clay-court singles title since Buster Mottram at 1976 Palma.

“It means a lot to have won,” said Murray. “It was my first final on the clay, having lost a few semi-finals at Roland Garros, Rome and Monte-Carlo. We played a very high standard match. I just managed to hang on at the end.

“He served unbelievably well. I had very few chances when I was returning. We may even play one another in Madrid, in a few days’ time [this week]. Philipp is a superb competitor and fought right to the end. It is nice to have won my first clay title and I hope to win another one soon.”

Murray’s clay breakthrough proved to just be the start of an impressive stretch on the surface for him. The following week, he won the Mutua Madrid Open with the loss of only one set. Murray claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a run that included victories against Kohlschreiber, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal. 

The momentum he carried into Madrid could be attributed to the confidence he earned in a tense Munich final against Kohlschreiber.

There were no break points for Murray or Kohlschreiber in the 58-minute opener, which resumed with top-seeded Brit serving at 2-3. Overall, Murray won 24 of his 28 first service points, while fifth seed Kohlschreiber won 21 of 23 in the first set.

In the second set, Murray saved two break points in a 16-point third game. Murray and Kohlschreiber then exchanged service breaks, prior to Kohlschreiber bouncing back from 0/40 at 3-4.

Kohlschreiber broke Murray to 15 for a 6-5 lead, as the match edged closer to the two-hour mark. One hour later, in a tense tie-break, the duo remained locked until Murray won four straight points from 2/3. Murray hit 17 aces to Kohlschreiber’s 11 during their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting. He moved to 5-0 lifetime in ATP Tour finals that have deciding-set tie-breaks.

“It was a great atmosphere and a great crowd,” Kohlschreiber told ATPTour.com. “We both gave everything. It was so close, but at the end there has to be one winner. Unfortunately, for me, it was Andy. It was a fantastic game.

“It was a very special moment for me, in front of a home crowd… I think I pushed Andy to the limit. We had some unbelievable points. I think, for the spectators who came, it was one of the best Munich finals.

“Munich is always very special. It is my best tournament on the tour. I love playing here and on the clay. I don’t want to watch the match tomorrow, but I enjoy playing clay-court tournaments. This gives me a lot of confidence for the future.”