“To be honest I feel like crying right now,” Zverev said following the match. “I don’t know what to say.

“It was a fantastic first set, the level was great, but at the end of the day that’s not important.

“Because, at the end of the day what you want is both players to shake hands at the end of the match and go off the court healthy and prepare for the next one.”

Berrettini recovered from being sidelined by injury for two months after the Australian Open this year to qualify for his second ATP Finals.

“Matteo [Berrettini], this is the worst feeling he can have because he’s been playing all year long to qualify for this event,” Zverev continued.

“It’s so special because it is at home for him, we have 15,000 people here all cheering him on, and after one set the tournament is over for him.

“Right now I don’t really want to talk about my match. I know Matteo personally so well and I just feel bad for him to be honest.

“I think he really looked forward to playing here, it was probably the highlight of his year, maybe the highlight of his career.

“But I said to him he’s going to qualify next year, he just needs to get healthy and he’s one of the best players in the world so I’m sure it’s not the last time we’re going to see him on this court.”

While Berrettini has not yet officially withdrawn from the ATP Finals, he is unlikely to recover sufficiently to compete.