Alexander Zverev’s final stop was in the round of 16 of the Masters in Shanghai. The German number one had to admit defeat to the Belgian David Goffin in two sets. For Zverev, who was in poor health due to pneumonia, it was another setback; for Goffin, it was a victory that enabled him to achieve something that only tennis legend Roger Federer had ever achieved.
It took David Goffin about less than two hours to close the bag with his first match point and put Alexander Zverev in his place 6:4 and 7:5.
The victory of the former top 10 player, who is now only at position 66 in the ATP rankings, against number three in the world was certainly a surprise. For Goffin, however, the success against Zverev is anything but a novelty – but the 33-year-old has achieved something almost unique.
On Wednesday, Goffin celebrated his third victory in the seventh comparison with Zverev at ATP level. If you take qualifications and Challenger tournaments into account, the balance is even at 4:4.
Top opponents on grass are in short supply in Zverev’s CV
The triumph in the round of 16 in Shanghai is special, however, as it was Goffin’s first victory against Zverev at an ATP event on a hard court. Since the right-hander has previously had the upper hand on clay (at the Masters in Monte Carlo 2021) and on grass (in Halle 2019), he can win a match on any surface.
What’s curious is that only the legendary Swiss Roger Federer has managed this feat against Zverev.
However, the German has simply never faced other top stars such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who have often dueled with Zverev, on grass.
Source: www.sport.de
