"I'll be No. 1 Daniil Medvedev fan there is" - Alexander Zverev voices his support for the Russian against Carlos Alcaraz in ATP Finals

Alexander Zverev recently revealed that he will be rooting for his rival Daniil Medvedev in the final round-robin match of the 2023 ATP Finals. The German, who lost to Medvedev in straight sets on Wednesday, needs the Russian to beat Carlos Alcaraz on Friday to secure his spot in the semifinals.

Zverev and Medvedev have one of the most intense and prolific rivalries in men’s tennis, having now faced each other 18 times since 2016, with the latter leading 11-7. They have clashed in three finals, including the 2021 ATP Finals, which Zverev won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

However, Zverev admitted that he will be cheering for Medvedev on Friday, as the former World No. 1 has already qualified for the semifinals with two wins in the Red Group. Zverev, who stands second in the group with one win and one loss, needs Medvedev to defeat Alcaraz, who is third with the same record but a higher percentage of sets won.

"I’ve never won a second round-robin match at this event and I won the tournament twice," Zverev said in the post-match press conference. "That obviously gives me hope. On Friday I’ll be the No. 1 Daniil Medvedev fan there is on this planet - for a change (smiling). We’ll see how it goes."

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Alexander Zverev to face Andrey Rublev at 2023 ATP Finals 3RR

Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev at the 2021 Laver Cup

Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev will meet in a third round-robin match at the 2023 ATP Finals on Saturday, November 18. The German is in contention for a spot in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament. Meanwhile, the Russian is already out of the race for the last four but will try to end his campaign on a high note.

Zverev has a 1-1 record in the Red Group after losing to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, 7-6(7), 6-4, and beating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets, 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4. The German, who won the title in 2018 and 2021, needs to win against Rublev, and hope that Medvedev defeats Alcaraz in the other match, to advance to the semifinals.

Rublev has a 0-2 record in the group after losing to Medvedev and Alcaraz in straight sets each. The Russian, who claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo in April, has no chance of reaching the semifinals, but can still play a spoiler for Zverev’s hopes.

The head-to-head record between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev stands in favor of the former, 5-3, with the most recent encounter going to the German in the quarterfinals of the Vienna Open, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.