Dmitrii Baskov enjoyed one of the best experiences of his tennis career in January. However, it’s been a wild ride since.

The 26-year-old, whose career-high FedEx ATP Ranking is No. 1,366, was part of Team Moldova in the inaugural ATP Cup. Not only did he represent his country, but Baskov got to be around some of the best players in the world.

Afterwards, Baskov was excited to visit India for the first time on the way home to train at Ace Tennis Academy in Ahmedabad.

“January in Moldova, it’s cold, there is not much space to practise, nobody to really practise with,” Baskov told ATPTour.com. “India was just a good place to make a stop.”

The Moldovan booked a ticket to fly home on 31 March. However, those plans were derailed by the spread of the coronavirus.

“When the lockdown hit here in India, it was already pretty big in Europe. I’d heard about Italy, I’d heard about Germany, I’d heard about even Russia. When things were happening, I didn’t know if I should leave or I should stay. I decided staying in India might be safest,” Baskov said. “It’s just a good place, honestly. A lot of fresh air, a lot of sun, a lot of space to do fitness or whatever by myself. I can’t do that in my apartment in Moldova.”

Baskov had never been in Asia before, but he is certainly making an impact. The Moldovan is staying with the academy’s director, Pramesh Modi, and his wife, Ami Modi. One day they were talking about the situation, and Baskov recalls Ami worrying about the people who weren’t getting food.

“We were like, ‘Okay, let’s try to cook some food and distribute it on the street. That was the first day. We did maybe 200 portions. We drove around, we gave the food, everyone was happy and then the next day the same thing happened. After a couple days we cooked for 500 people,” Baskov said. “I don’t know how it happened, but now we’re packing every day about 2,000 to 3,000 portions. The government cars come to pick it up because the quarantine is very strict. You can’t really drive, police stations are everywhere, so we can’t distribute it.

“We just order the food from someone who cooks it in huge amounts, he brings us huge jars, and we pack it in proper packages and give it to the people.”

Ami is the founder of the Shree Sava Foundation, which Baskov says has received support from the local community to help with this initiative. They spend an hour and a half in the morning to package lunches, and another hour and a half later in the day to package dinner.

“There are 24 hours of freedom, you can afford to do something good for society,” Baskov said. “It’s obvious that some people need help… I consider myself lucky being here with such great people. Not everyone is that lucky. Not everyone has the financial support, not everyone has the financial safety and I think everyone would do it if they have the opportunity. I’m sure, especially tennis players.”

Baskov’s parents are both doctors in Russia, and he says his father, who had been working in an ambulance, came down with COVID-19 about three weeks ago. He is not clear of the virus yet, but has been feeling better.

“Even if I was there, I couldn’t be in touch with him,” Baskov said. “He has to self-isolate himself when he’s sick.

“Deep down I’m really proud of them. They’re doctors. That’s how the world survives for now, because of them.”

Baskov could only come up with one word to describe the roller-coaster he’s been on since the start of the year — “crazy” — but he still keeps in touch with his ATP Cup teammates via a WhatsApp group. He says that captain Vladimir Albot is the most active in the chat.

“We talk once in a while just checking in on each other, but there’s not much to talk about with everyone staying home, or wherever they were stuck,” said Baskov, who did not play an official match in the event. “[Vladimir] the most active in the group. I love him! As soon as I message something in the group you can be sure in two minutes he’s going to reply.”

Baskov says they cannot play tennis right now due to the lockdowns, but he’s been able to hit some balls against the wall for a short time here and there, while also maintaining his fitness.

“You have no idea how much we crave now to get back on the court.”

Zhang Zhizhen is used to being away from home for months at a time as he continues his climb up the FedEx ATP Rankings. But for China’s top-ranked player, his globetrotting schedule at the start of the year was fueled in part by not being able to return home.

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold worldwide, many countries instituted temporary bans beginning in January and the following month, authorities in Zhang’s home city of Shanghai began implementing movement restrictions on residents.

But three months later, Zhang is now back in Shanghai and training with other top players from China. Although there are still some restrictions in place, many of them are beginning to be lifted and normalcy is returning to daily life.

“I went to the zoo, but you have to book ahead because they’re controlling the number of people [who enter],” Zhang told ATPTour.com. “The situation has improved a lot in the past month, but people are still wearing a mask when they go outside. When you go out to a restaurant or somewhere like this, you have to show a [digital QR] code that shows you’re healthy and then they check your temperature.

“Right now, it’s pretty safe. We can practise all day because it’s only the other players from the federation here. We can run some laps around the club as well. We don’t know when the Tour can restart, so we try to keep it interesting and vary the training, play points and not just drill at the baseline all day.”

Being healthy isn’t something that Zhang is taking for granted after a frightening on-court episode this February while competing in Dubai. A fluke accident saw him frame a service return and the ball ricocheted into his right eye. Zhang went directly to the hospital and laid low for a week afterwards, but his vision in the eye is nearly back to normal now.

“I was really scared because I couldn’t see anything after being hit. It was completely black. I thought that maybe I’d be blind,” Zhang said, laughing softly. “Now my eyes are getting better. It’s not 100 per cent, but maybe 90 per cent. There are some small things I can’t see from far away, but it’s okay.”

Players typically return to their home base when competing isn’t an option, but this initially wasn’t possible for Zhang after his Dubai mishap due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions. His parents also encouraged him not to fly back, so Zhang opted to travel to Croatia for recovery and training with his coach, Luka Kutanjac, at HATK Zagreb.

“When you get injured, you want to go back home because you feel better in your home,” Zhang said. “But I knew if that I went to Croatia, I could get treatment and still see how I can practise. It was really difficult at that moment in China. Nobody could go outside of their house. It would have been very hard to go back to China and then travel to Europe again, so I just told myself that I couldn’t go back.”

When action resumes on Tour, Zhang looks to continue his push towards becoming the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100. He’s already achieved the highest singles ranking among male Chinese players by reaching No. 136 in February, fueled by an impressive finish last season that saw him win two ATP Challenger Tour titles and pick up tour-level wins in Zhuhai and Beijing.

Zhang knows that he’s been in this position before, though. He acknowledged that his results have fluctuated drastically in recent years, so he’s focussing on continued progress instead of a big run at one event. Zhang is confident that his long-term outlook can not only lead him to the Top 100, but take him well beyond that mark.

“Nobody has reached the Top 100 among the men in China, but to me, the Top 100 is just the start in professional tennis,” Zhang said. “I don’t want to jump up the rankings too quickly because in the past five years I’ve had huge jumps, then huge drops and huge jumps again. I’m just trying to enjoy playing tennis at the moment. If I can win, then that’s perfect, but I’m not scared of losing either.”

Five-time ATP Tour doubles champion Artem Sitak has found a potential ‘Plan Bee’ for life after tennis during the suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sitak, who is staying with a friend, Bryan Lang, in New Zealand, has been hands-on with 120,000 bees. Lang has six hives on his roof and is a “semi-professional beekeeper”, and Sitak has been more than happy to help.

“Obviously I’m here every day so I can do more, and it’s fun. It’s cool to do it. Definitely something different. Maybe I’ll do something bee-related after tennis because I know quite a bit already,” Sitak told ATPTour.com. “It’s absolutely amazing [watching them], what you need to do with the process, how they operate. It’s quite impressive.”

One of the big responsibilities Sitak has helped with is marking the queens of each hive. They do that in order to find the queen quickly when the bees begin swarming.

“You quickly get the queen out with maybe half the other bees and put them in another hive so they think they did swarm and they’re not flying away. You’re not losing half your bees,” Sitak said. “You have to stay on top of it. You have to see when they’re going to do that, because there are some signs. They are producing some kind of substance and they put a new baby queen in, and that means they’re going to start swarming very soon.”

Lang, who annually goes to the Australian Open and Wimbledon with the former World No. 32, began his work with bees about six years ago, getting 300 kilograms of honey per year. People call him to extract swarms from their houses. Sitak even accompanied him to deal with one swarm on the 12th floor of an apartment building.

It’s safe to say Sitak, who has only been stung a few times, has taken advantage of the honey, eating it on toast for breakfast daily.

“That honey tastes so much better than the grocery store honey because there’s no added sugar,” Sitak said. “It’s very thick. I love it. I think I ate like 10 pounds of it in the past six weeks.”

Although the ATP Tour is still suspended due to coronavirus, Sitak has been doing more than just eating honey and tending to bees.

“I’ve been doing a lot of fitness. We have a lot of hills here in Auckland so I’ve just been running up the very steep hills. Sprinting up, running around. Just doing a lot of running and hitting against a wall I found nearby,” Sitak said. “We’re not allowed to play on courts yet. Hopefully in a week or so we’ll be able to play, so I’ll start proper training.”

What’s more difficult to prepare for: a tricky set of doubles opponents or swarming bees?

Sitak laughed before saying: “The bees definitely have much more complicated tactics than doubles.”

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 5 May 2013.

Juan Martin del Potro met His Holiness Pope Francis, the first Pope from South America and a fellow Argentine, after attending Mass at the Vatican on Wednesday. Del Potro presented the Pope with a racquet used during his 2009 US Open final victory over Roger Federer.  

“It was an incredible experience with Pope Francis, something that I’ll never forget,” said Del Potro. “It was a dream come true for a guy like me. It was an unforgettable moment. I was very nervous before meeting him, to be able to congratulate him and talk with him. He was nice. Everybody knows he is very humble. Today was a day that I’ll remember forever.”

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio and noted for his humility and concern for the poor, Pope Francis was elected just over two months ago, during Del Potro’s run to the BNP Paribas Open final.

“I wanted to meet him from the moment he got elected Pope,” Del Potro said. “I said it in Indian Wells. This moment was possible thanks to arrangements in Buenos Aires and to the ATP. It also coincided that I had a day without a singles match.”

The World No. 7 and winner of 14 ATP Tour titles said that he was surprised when the Pope recognised him in the crowd.

“There was a very nice moment when he was talking to all of us, all of his audience, and he turned his face, saw me and raised his thumb. He recognised me and that surprised me. We talked for a few seconds,” Del Potro said. “He told me that he knew I was playing at the tournament in Rome, he blessed me and wished me the best. I congratulated him and thanked him for the opportunity to talk to him.”

ATP Tour players Carlos Berlocq and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez and Marin Cilic of Croatia also attended the service.

Seventh seed Del Potro opened his Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Andrey Kuznetsov. He returns to action on Thursday with a third-round clash against Benoit Paire.

With an entertaining brand of tennis, 22-year-old Alexander Bublik has reached two ATP Tour finals and a career-high No. 47 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the Kazakhstani.

1) He Raised His Game In 2019
Last year, Bublik advanced to his first two ATP Tour finals in Newport and Chengdu. On the grass courts of the Hall of Fame Open, the Kazakhstani navigated four consecutive three-set matches to reach his maiden ATP Tour championship match and improve to 9-1 in deciding sets at tour-level. Bublik was unable to take the title, losing in straight sets to four-time Newport winner John Isner.

It didn’t take long for Bublik to return to a championship match. Two months later, at the Chengdu Open, the 22-year-old earned Top 30 victories against Taylor Fritz and Grigor Dimitrov en route to the final. Bublik fired 125 aces in Chengdu, but fell just short of the trophy after losing a final-set tie-break against Pablo Carreno Busta.

2) He Is Unpredictable
When you step onto the court against Bublik, anything can happen. From tweeners to extended net exchanges, the Kazakhstani has already made a name for himself with his entertaining game style.

En route to the Chengdu Open final, Bublik contested a thrilling rally with Fritz after hitting an underarm serve. Following the point, the players shared a laugh near the umpire’s chair.

3) Less Counting = More Winning
Prior to reaching his first final in Newport, Bublik revealed that he had changed his outlook on the FedEx ATP Rankings. Less counting, more winning.

The 22-year-old admitted that counting points and paying too much attention to how close he was to the ranking cutoff of a big tournament had previously had a negative effect on his performance, so he decided to make a change.

“This was my problem when I was a kid. I was counting the points. Even if I didn’t win the match, before the match I started counting points, how much I’d earn,” said Bublik. “This was my problem. I deleted all the apps, the live scoring, rankings. Especially when there’s a deadline week and I needed to make something and I’d be like ‘Yes, I need to do it,’ I’d choke 0 and 1.”

4) He Reached A Career-High In February
He may not be counting, but Bublik achieved a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking in February. The 6’6” right-hander earned three consecutive victories at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille, beating Marton Fucsovics in straight sets before back-to-back three-set wins against Top 25 stars Benoit Paire and Denis Shapovalov. Despite falling to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, Bublik climbed eight positions to a career-high World No. 47.

5) He Has Tricks In His Locker
Bublik’s tricks are not limited to the court. The two-time ATP Tour finalist is just as impressive with his freestyle tennis skills.

At the 2019 US Open, Bublik took time out of his schedule to teach fans some of his favourite moves. After setting a challenge for one fan, he offered his new shoes as a prize. Fortunately, for Bublik at least, the fan fell just short of the mark.

“One guy challenged me for my shoes,” said Bublik. “[I was hoping] he didn’t make it because I love these shoes.”

Whether you’re a huge tennis fan, a casual follower or someone we need to work a little harder to win over, we’d love to get your thoughts on our great game.

Please take this survey so that we may learn from our fans – and potential fans – as we strive to help tennis reach its full potential.

Take The Survey!

Normally at this time of season, the Tour heads to historic Foro Italico in Rome. Sadly, the tournament this year was suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but fans can still celebrate the 30th anniversary of ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. This week, ATPTour.com reflects on some of the memorable moments from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The Italian championship was first held in Milan in 1930, but moved to the Foro Italico, on the slopes of the Monte Mario, five years later. With a total of 11 clay courts, the complex boasts three show courts, the Campo Centrale, Stadio Pietrangeli, named after the 1957 and 1961 champion Nicola Pietrangeli, and the Supertennis Arena. It has been a combined ATP/WTA event since 2011.

1992-1993: Peak Courier
At the peak of his powers, Jim Courier stormed the Foro Italico to become the first player to win back-to-back Rome titles since Jaroslav Drobny in 1950 and 1951. While victories over Carlos Costa and Goran Ivanisevic in the 1992 and 1993 finals, respectively, were not memorable, suspense-laden classics, it was the nature of Courier’s performances that were. Starting off at a high pace and displaying the kind of mental toughness that became his trademark, the American fought past the likes of Thomas Muster, Francisco Clavet, Sergi Bruguera and Carl-Uwe Steeb in 1992, then Bruguera (again) and Michael Chang in 1993 en route to his historic triumphs. He was the preeminent dirt-baller, at a time when then-Tournament Director Franco Bartoni, Cino Marchese, former champion Adriano Panatta and Sergio Palmieri developed the commercial reputation of Rome, and it’s organisation.

1994: Sampras Becomes Emperor
Pete Sampras won three clay-court titles, but none was bigger than on 9 May 1994, when he thrashed Boris Becker 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the Rome final to extend his match wins record to 27 and his season tally to 39-2, which included his seven trophies. Becker admitted, “He is playing tennis like they will play the game in the 21st century. He’s doing things I’ve never seen before on a tennis court. I can only compare him to the greatest of the greats. He just beat the heck out of me today.” Sampras, who did not serve as well as he had earlier in the week, was able to put pressure on Becker’s serve, winning 27 of 44 points and breaking six times. “I played really well today,” said Sampras. “I made very few errors and I was pretty much in control from the outset. Boris was never able to accomplish his game plan, or to work into any sort of rhythm. I was moving much better today than I had been all week. I also felt much better at net. I had my balance. This is the result of playing a week on clay.”

1995-1996: The Magic Of Muster
Just six weeks after a freak accident damaged left knee ligaments in Miami, Thomas Muster put in an appearance at the Foro Italico, where he told then-Tournament Director Franco Bartoni, “I’ll be back next year and win.” Few believed him, but Muster was true to his word. In the first year of Masters 1000 tournaments, the Austrian ironman beat Andrei Chesnokov 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the 1990 final. Five years on, having waited a long time for the rain to stop, Muster dismissed Sergi Bruguera 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3 for his 28th straight win on red dirt. A few weeks later, the 27-year-old completed the title hat-trick of Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros title in the same year, a feat only achieved by Ilie Nastase (at the time) in 1973. The following year, the supremely fit Muster, not quite at the peak of his powers, mastered a swirling wind and wet conditions to beat the serve-volleyer Richard Krajicek 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for his fifth title of 1995. It extended his record on clay over the past two years to 95-3. He joined Jaroslav Drobny (1950-51, 1953) and Marty Mulligan (1963, 1965 and 1967) — at the time — as the only men to win the Italian Open three times.

1999: Guga Reigns, Denies Rafter No. 1
Gustavo Kuerten, the charismatic Brazilian, ended the hope of Patrick Rafter rising to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with a fine all-court display against the traditional serve-volleyer, the first Australian in the Rome final since fellow Queenslander Rod Laver in 1971. Kuerten moved back into the Top 10 with a 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(6) victory over Rafter in two hours and 39 minutes. “I didn’t get my serve together the whole match,” he lamented, adding, “I would always struggle against Kuerten on clay.” Rafter saved break points in the fifth, ninth and 11 games prior to a tense third-set tie-break, which ended his hopes of joining John Newcombe as World No. 1. Kuerten, the No. 16 seed, who beat Fernando Vicente, Francisco Clavet, No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Karol Kucera and Alex Corretja en route to the 1999 final, completed the win with a backhand return and angled backhand volley winner. Kuerten, who made his Rome debut in 1998, compiled a 19-3 record at the tournament in his first four appearances. He also finished runner-up in 2000 to Magnus Norman and 2001 to Juan Carlos Ferrero.

2002: Agassi Wins, At Last!
Andre Agassi, with his two-toned shoulder length hair and denim shorts, could only smile, when he captured the 2002 crown, 13 years after first reaching the Rome final. The recently turned 19-year-old had not dropped a set en route to the 1989 championship match, the biggest final of his four-season career to-date. But he lost to Alberto Mancini in five sets. The American then skipped the event in seven of the next 12 seasons, but prior to 2002, when he arrived at the Foro Italico on the back of a right wrist injury, Agassi was in top form, reaching three finals. With Lleyton Hewitt and Kuerten leading every member of the Top 10 in the field, Agassi didn’t drop a set once more to the final, where he beat Tommy Haas 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. Acknowledging Mancini, Agassi said, “Hopefully, wherever Alberto Mancini is, he has a smile on his face for me.” Agassi’s 2002 Rome title remains the last ATP Masters 1000 crown won my an American on clay.

2005: Nadal Wins Battle For The Ages
Three weeks on from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal met Guillermo Coria, the most dangerous clay-court player of the past 12 months, once more in a highly anticipated final. In one of the greatest finals in ATP Tour history, 18-year-old Nadal recovered from 0-3 down in the deciding set to beat Coria 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 to extend his winning streak to 17 matches. “This was the best match of my career,” said Nadal. “It was such a tough match. I’m so happy to have won, it’s unbelievable. I have won three consecutive titles, I don’t know how to explain that.” The win maintained Spain’s hold on the Rome title, following triumphs for Ferrero in 2001, Felix Mantilla in 2003 and Carlos Moya in 2004. Devastated by the loss, Coria said, “I’m a little bit disappointed because I ran for five hours just to lose with two points. Actually, I am very disappointed. It’s normal, but I lost to a top player who played a great match. So that’s it, now I have to move on. I think I was pretty close to beating him today, but he’s very confident. He has won a lot of matches lately and he’s making some incredible shots.”

2006: Two Stars Collide
Twelve months on and the Roman crowd watched another treat, this time the day Nadal and Federer cemented their rivalry in a superb 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) final victory, which had taken eight minutes longer than the 2005 title match. At 19 years of age, Nadal had tied Guillermo Vilas’ Open Era record of 53 straight match wins on a clay. Nadal, who’d beaten Federer in the Monte Carlo final three weeks earlier, admitted, “Before each tournament, I’m always thinking, ‘This week I’m going to lose.’ But I have been lucky this year and won.” With no choice but to attack, Federer gained a stranglehold at 4-1 in the fifth set and held two championship points after Nadal hit the first double fault of the match at 5-6, 15/30. The Swiss squandered hit first opportunity with a backhand long, then rushed a forehand down the line to let Nadal off the hook. “I tried to hit a winner, why not?” said Federer, who finished on 89 unforced errors. “I didn’t try to totally hit a winner, but tried to play aggressive and I was a little late on it. I couldn’t get quite over the first point in time. I guess, the first match point cost me the match.” The win, Nadal’s 13th straight final triumph, also tied Bjorn Borg’s record for 16 titles won as a teenager. At 57 games, the 2006 encounter was the longest Rome final in terms of games. Read Feature

2008: Djokovic’s First Title, Rome Love Affair
While the surname Nadal dominates the roll of honour since 2005, Novak Djokovic has also been successful with four titles from nine finals. A few months after capturing his first major title, Djokovic battled hard to beat Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the 2008 final for his fourth Masters 1000 crown and by 2011, amidst a 41-match winning streak for the season, the undisputed World No. 1 overcame Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the Rome final. In 2014, having overcome a right wrist injury, Djokovic beat Nadal in a final for the fourth straight time, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, and the following year, recorded the 22nd of a 28-match winning streak to beat Federer 6-4, 6-3. On three occasions, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the Rome final (2009, 2012 and 2019), while he fell at the final hurdle to Andy Murray in 2016 and Alexander Zverev in 2017. Overall, the Serbian has not lost before the quarter-finals in 13 appearances (to date).

2019: Nadal On Cloud Nine
If he wasn’t quite in top form, Nadal was certainly close to it upon capturing a record-extending crown in Rome. His 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Djokovic after two hours and 25 minutes gave Nadal his ninth title (2005-07, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2018-19) in 11 Rome finals (also 2011, 2014). “What means most to me is this trophy,” said Nadal, who has recorded 84 match wins at the Masters 1000 tournament. “Rome is one of the most important tournaments of the year. [It’s a big] part of the history of our sport. To be able to win here again is the main thing.” The 39-minute opener was the first 6-0 set between the rivals, contesting their 54th meeting, in 141 previous sets. Read Final Match Report & Watch Highlights

Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev are well into their ATP Head2Head rivalry, one that promises to thrill fans for years to come.

The players have different games — Thiem wields heavier groundstrokes and a two-handed backhand, whereas Zverev is backed by one of the best two-handed backhands in the sport. Those differences have made for fun rallies and close, compelling matches. 

”We have no secrets from each other, we’ve played so many times, also on very special occasions. It’s a nice rivalry we have,” Thiem said.

ATPTour.com looks back at each of their previous matches, with Thiem leading their series 7-2. Only three of those matches have ended in straight sets.

2020 Australian Open SF, Hard, Thiem def. Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4)
Zverev entered this match having broken through to his first Grand Slam semi-final, which was especially significant considering he had never made a major quarter-final outside of Roland Garros. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion entered the match in devastating form, having lost only one set in his first five matches.

But Thiem relied on his heavy groundstrokes — especially his one-handed backhand — and big-match experience to battle through. Despite losing the first set and facing two set points in the third set, the Austrian earned his third straight win against Zverev with a three-hour, 42-minute victory. The win also helped Thiem climb to a career-high No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I felt nerves, having put in so much energy,” said Thiem. “My stomach was rebelling a bit. I have it a little, when it’s close and a tough match. It’s not nice to play return games, when he’s hitting so many first serves. I didn’t have a look, really, in the fourth set… Thank goodness there is a tie-break in tennis, otherwise we’d still be playing.”

2019 Nitto ATP Finals SF, Hard, Thiem def. Zverev 7-5, 6-3
Zverev won the biggest title of his career at The O2 in 2018, and he put himself two wins from retaining the trophy in 2019. But Thiem, who won the BNP Paribas Open earlier in the year, enjoyed a breakthrough season on hard courts, and showed his improvement on the surface against the German.

Thiem saved all four break points he faced, biding his time for the key moments in a straight-sets triumph.

“This is just a big, big dream coming true for me. It is one of the best tournaments all year, one of the most prestigious tournaments all year, and I’m getting the chance to play the final… It’s unreal to me,” Thiem said. “To beat the defending champion, a good player, an unbelievable player, this is always a great achievement and I’m very, very happy.”

2018 Roland Garros QF, Clay, Thiem def. Zverev 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
This was a breakthrough tournament for Zverev. Not only was it his first Grand Slam quarter-final, but he carried confidence into the match after beating Thiem just weeks earlier for the Madrid title. The question was: Did the German have the legs to take advantage of the opportunity?

It turns out he did not. Zverev won three consecutive five-setters to make the quarter-finals, while Thiem had only lost three sets in his first four matches. That combined with Thiem’s physical, heavy topspin-based game proved too tough for Zverev in a one-hour, 50-minute victory for the Austrian.

“He’s one of the fittest guys on Tour, and even for him it’s maybe a little bit too tough to play three five-setters in the first rounds of a Slam,” Thiem said. “I expected, somehow, that he [would be] a little bit tired, but still I’m happy how I finished the game. I let him run. I was doing what I had to do, and so I’m satisfied.”

2018 Madrid Final, Clay, Zverev def. Thiem 6-4, 6-4
Not only was this the biggest match of the pair’s ATP Head2Head rivalry — it doesn’t get much bigger than competing in the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event — but a lot had happened in the 15 months since their previous meeting.

Since their 2017 Rotterdam clash, Zverev won his first two Masters 1000 titles, and he was the higher-ranked player at World No. 3. The German was not broken in the entire tournament, nor did he lose a set. He used an impressive display of aggression to dismiss Thiem in straight sets for the trophy.

“All in all, I’m just really happy with how I played,” Zverev said. “Obviously the altitude fits me a little bit with my serve, with how I play, with me playing a little bit more aggressive than maybe others. That definitely fits me. But I just feel confident and comfortable right now.”

2017 Rotterdam R32, Hard, Thiem def. Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
World No. 8 Thiem arrived in Rotterdam after a disappointing opening-round defeat in Sofia, looking to gain momentum. Zverev, meanwhile, was fresh off a title in Montpellier and pushing Rafael Nadal to five sets at the Australian Open.

But Thiem was far better behind his first serve — winning 77 per cent of those points compared to 61 per cent for Zverev — to take a 4-1 lead in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.

“He’s one of the best players in the world right now. He played an amazing match at the Australian Open against Rafa (Nadal), just won his second title in Montpellier, so it was a horrible draw for me,” Thiem said. “Even though I was 0-4 down I felt pretty good from the start of the match, I was hitting my returns well, used my slice smartly. Overall it was my best performance in a long time. For my confidence this is exactly what I needed, a very good match against a really, really good player.”

2016 Beijing R32, Hard, Zverev def. Thiem 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Zverev earned his first win against Thiem in their first hard-court clash, rallying from a set down to do it. Thiem appeared poised to extend his lead in their series to 4-0, but Zverev won the final four games to earn his fourth Top 10 victory of 2016.

The German broke five times from 14 chances to secure his triumph after one hour and 52 minutes, and he’d beat Jack Sock in the next round to reach his fourth ATP 500 quarter-final of 2016.

2016 Roland Garros R32, Clay, Thiem def. Zverev 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Thiem and Zverev got to know each other’s games well in a very short period of time in 2016, playing three times in a month. Although none of those matches was completely one-sided, Thiem relied on his experience to win them all.

The Austrian was the favourite at Roland Garros, given this was Zverev’s first main draw appearance at clay-court major. The 22-year-old Thiem became the first man from his country to reach the fourth round on the Parisian clay since Jurgen Melzer in 2010 (SF).

“I knew already before the match that it was going to be a very tough one against such a great player like Sascha,” Thiem said. “I think the little difference today was probably the three years’ age difference.”

2016 Nice Final, Clay, Thiem def. Zverev 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Just two weeks after their first clash, these rising stars met in Nice. This time, a trophy was on the line.

Thiem was the defending champion, and he had no intention of relinquishing his crown, using his fitness to battle past the German.

“I spent about 12.5 hours on court this week, so I’m a bit tired,” Zverev said. “Against a player like Dominic, who is one of the best clay-court players right now, you have to be at your best to beat him. There’s not a lot of chances.”

2016 Munich SF, Clay, Thiem def. Zverev 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
World No. 49 Zverev, only 19, had a lot at stake in his first meeting against Thiem, who was World No. 15. The German was trying to reach his first ATP Tour final on home soil, and he was just two wins from claiming his first tour-level title.

But the Austrian erased eight of 11 break points faced and broke the teen six times to prevail in three sets.

“It’s unbelievable how he plays at 19 years old,” Thiem said. “I lost the first set and then I changed a little bit… more slice, more drop shots, and I think this was one of the key points to win it.”