Wu Yibing left the Rolex Shanghai Masters disappointed by a missed opportunity against Alexander Zverev, but with his belief strengthened that he belongs alongside the best players in the world.
After pushing the former World No. 2 hard before falling 6-4, 7-6(4) in Shanghai, Wu said the performance reinforced the confidence he has taken from testing himself against the game’s best.
“Of course,” Wu said when asked if the match confirmed in his mind that he belonged at the top level. “I had multiple chances to play the best players in the world this year, and I think I showed myself, and also the world, that I could play great tennis, even against the best players in the world.
“So I’m confident in myself, and I think I just have to keep digging, keep staying patient and keep healthy, try to play as many tournaments as possible. Be smart also with the schedule, and, yeah, I think my time will come.”
This year Wu played Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, where he pushed the seven-time champion to four sets. He beat former World No. 2 Casper Ruud in Acapulco en route to the quarter-finals. He pushed former World No. 5 Andrey Rublev to three sets in the first week of the season in Hong Kong.
Against Zverev, he defended his second serve well, winning 61 per cent of those points. But costly errors in the second-set tie-break proved critical.
“I was getting super close in the second set,” Wu said. “I missed my chance in the tie-break, three balls, which, against this kind of player, you cannot make those mistakes in that important moment.
“But in general, I’m super proud and happy that I could bring the best of myself against him, especially when he’s serving. I think I did amazing return games today, and also did a good job from the baseline trying to give him the pressure, try to bring him out wide in the rallies.
“I’m a little bit disappointed about the tie-break, but in general it’s a good match. I played good today.”
Wu slipped to 9-11 on the season. He was attempting to reach the Rolex Shanghai Masters third round for the second time (2024).
