It was about the match at hand on Sunday as Alexander Zverev confidently rumbled to his second career title at the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Daniil Medvedev.

Zverev, ripping unreturnable serves and spectacular swing volleys, did not face a break point against an exceedingly talented opponent who had beaten him five times in a row and stolen quite a bit of his thunder in recent seasons as the most successful man in their age group.

But Sunday was also about the matches and the season to come, which was why Zverev, who won the trophy in 2018, did not wait long in his post-victory interview to reference 2022 with a slight smile on his stubbled face.

No man has won the ATP Finals twice who has not risen to No. 1 in the rankings and won multiple grand slam singles titles.

For the moment, Zverev, 24, has yet to reach the top spot and yet to win one of the four major titles that remain tennis’ litmus tests of greatness.

Will he be an unfortunate exception? It is hard to believe so with his up-to-date skill set.

“I kind of have succeeded on every single level, and there’s one thing missing,” he said, referring to a grand slam title. “I hope I can do that next year.”

“I feel like it’s inevitable Zverev is going to win a major,” said Patrick McEnroe, the ESPN analyst and former US Davis Cup captain. “I’ve been saying for a couple years that he’s been knocking on the door. Now he’s banging on it.”

Though Zverev did not reach a grand slam final in 2021, this has been a reaffirming year with six singles titles, including the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo after stopping Djokovic along the way. Zverev, long considered soft when it mattered most, seems more clearheaded under duress and better at making tactical shifts and smart decisions on the fly.

“He’s been a great player for a long time,” said Mischa Zverev, his brother, who has been coaching him in their father Alexander’s absence from the tour. “Sascha has all the shots, that big serve and big backhand and is moving well. But I think this week he really played intelligent tennis and was truly an all-rounder. I even saw him hit a backhand slice down the line and come to net to finish off the volley. He stepped it up when he needed to and was very patient when necessary. He mixed up his serve very well and mixed up the pace of his shots very well.”

After complaining of weariness and losing quickly to Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters indoors earlier this month, Zverev came back at him with conviction in Turin, losing in the round-robin in a third-set tie-breaker after holding a match point and then raising the bar on Sunday, reading the flow of play.

“It was almost like he used all his senses to play today,” Mischa said of his brother.

It was an impressive performance but Zverev, despite his big-bang game and capacity to charm in three languages, remains a divisive figure who is difficult for many spectators to fully embrace because of the ongoing tour investigation into his alleged physical violence against a former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova.

He has denied the allegations of abuse and said that he welcomes the inquiry so he can clear his name. “I’m his brother, so I’ve always had faith and belief in him from the day he was born,” said Mischa, who is 10 years older and preceded him on tour.

“But yes, to win six tournaments, two Masters finals and Olympic gold, that’s a great year for anybody and especially with the things that were going on off the court, it’s more so impressive.”

But there is a cost, both in lost sponsorship and lost support. “I think it’s affected him personally a lot more than he’s let on,” McEnroe said.

“These allegations hanging over him are very uncomfortable, and we can only hope it works out for everybody, including the young woman in this situation.”

“My gut tells me and not even my gut, my brain, my eyes, my senses tell me Sascha has the talent and has everything needed to win a grand slam,” Mischa said. “I believe it will happen soon. I always believed he could be No. 1 and will win grand slams, and I still believe that.”

(New York Times News Service)