To mark the end of another exciting season, ATPTour.com unveils our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week we look at the best rivalries of the year.
After meeting just once in 2024, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev reignited their long-standing rivalry in 2025 with three riveting chapters. Over three high-stakes encounters – one of which was a thriller with match point saves – Medvedev tightened his grip on their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, extending his lead to 14-8. Here, ATPTour.com revisits their 2025 clashes.
Halle SFs, Medvedev d. Zverev 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4
Medvedev’s run to his first tour-level final in fifteen months rightly required him to navigate the opponent who had defined many of the pivotal moments of his career. Their first meeting of the season at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle was their first on grass in a nine-year rivalry, but nevertheless unfolded as a microcosm of their long-standing competition: tactical, tense and stretched by momentum swings.
Medvedev built a set-and-a-break lead and even had two match points on the return at 6-5 in the second, but Zverev uncorked a series of daring, improvised shots. His half-volley winner, which ended a 21-shot rally, sealed the 12th game, and he stormed through the tiebreak to force a decider.
But former world number 1 Medvedev, so often the mainstay in their recent matches, struck early and defended impeccably in the final set, saving all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Although he would fall short in the championship match against Alexander Bublik, the win served as a renewed reminder of his recent command over Zverev.
“I’m happy that I managed to stay calmer in the third set and save those break points,” said Medvedev. “All matches are very exciting [between us]. When the matches are exciting, like today, they can go either way.”
Beijing QFs, Medvedev d. Zverev 6-3, 6-3
While competing in the China Open in Beijing, Medvedev began to gather some much-needed late-season momentum. His quarterfinal against Zverev came at a time when he revived his bid to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, adding meaningful weight to the encounter beyond the scoreboard.
From the start, Medvedev delivered the kind of statement performance he usually reserves for his biggest rival. According to TDI Insights, his average stroke quality for 2025 was 7.7 on the forehand and 7.8 on the backhand – but against Zverev those figures spiked to 9.1 and 8.8 respectively, a significant jump that reflects how sharply he elevates himself when facing the German. The result was a suffocating display from start to finish, with Zverev leaving little room to manoeuvre.
It was Medvedev’s first Top-5 win on hard courts since the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals and helped spark a late wave that included semifinals in Beijing and Shanghai, and a title in Almaty. Although he fell just short of a Nitto ATP Finals spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, his performance against Zverev stood out as a major catalyst for his revival.
Paris QFs, Zverev d. Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)
Zverev broke his five-match losing streak against Medvedev with one of his toughest performances of the season at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the German saved two match points to return to the semi-finals.
The victory came at a crucial moment in both their journeys: Zverev defended his crown at the ATP Masters 1000 event, while Medvedev fought to keep his hopes alive in Turin. Their rivalry had tilted heavily in Medvedev’s favor over the past two years, but Zverev eventually broke through by staying aggressive in the tightest passages and refusing to let the match slip away – even when he twice came within a point of defeat after serving at 4-5 in the final set.
“Daniil is a bit of my kryptonite, I don’t like playing against him,” Zverev said after scoring his first win over Medvedev since Cincinnati in 2023. “He is someone who has had my number in recent years. What I am most happy with is the match points saved, the way I stayed brave and won the match itself in the important moments.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
#Rivalry #Medvedev #Zverev