Alexander Zverev - Ready for the season's tennis festival weeks: "I can attack anywhere"
Alexander Zverev won the fourth ATP Masters 1000 title of his career in Madrid. At the Frech Open, he should soon achieve the big coup at the Grand Slam level.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: May 10, 2021, 02:36 pm
What a lavish party looks like in these Corona times, Alexander Zverev presented his Internet community in pictures and sound on the evening of the Masters victory in Madrid. Together with the Zverev team, the clay court champion posed in front of the remains of a lavish fast food delivery in his hotel. It didn't look particularly healthy or attractive, that late evening meal, but the little sin was evidently doing very well after the hard drudgery in the red sand.
It feels “indescribable” to have won a Masters title again after three years, said the 24-year-old from Hamburg after the sense of achievement that he achieved with a dramatic 6: 7 (8), 6: 4, 6: 3- Victory against the formidable Italian Matteo Berrettini in the "Caja Magica" had ensured. Within sight of the annual highlights, the most important weeks of the season, Zverev was ready for the upcoming challenges - at the French Open in Paris from the end of May and at Wimbledon a month later. “That was impressive from Zverev. Very, very good, ”said tournament impresario Ion Tiriac, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on Sunday.
Hard way in Madrid
Tournament victories can be worked out with a lot of luck and the favor of the fate of the draw. There are winners who march through the finish line without even beating a top 10 opponent. This did not apply at all to Zverev in Madrid, at the Masters industry meeting of the top players. First he did extremely uncomfortable preliminary round tasks, right at the start against a former Grand Slam finalist like Kei Nishikori or the British Dan Evans. Then normally the end could have overtaken him, maybe even should, in the quarter-finals against the best clay court player of all time, the 13-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal. But he cleared the “cannibals” and local hero just as safely out of the way as in the semifinals his crown prince, the two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem. Which for Zverev in the latter case was also a small revenge for the big US Open frustration of last autumn - at that time the German had squandered a 2-0 set lead against the Austrian in the Grand Slam final. "You can't do something like that every day," said Zverev in retrospect, rightly himself somewhat impressed by the extraordinary double against Nadal and Thiem.
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At Zverev, you almost always don't know exactly what you're up to with him. For better or for worse. In the final against Berrettini, a lot seemed possible, a stable continuation of his winning streak, but also a slump. A dropout like a week and a half ago at the Munich BMW Open, when he was suddenly eliminated against the Belarusian Ivashka, number 107 in the world rankings. But he was spared a comparable bitter exit in Madrid, despite a black-out in the contested tiebreak of the first set when he put a second serve at 8: 8 at 226 kilometers per hour and then lost the game. Zverev didn't care much, turned the game, especially with irrepressible commitment, less with great playful class. He showed the qualities that are needed for the attrition appearances in the sand: perseverance, patience, defensive strength, morality. Quite simply the necessary bite and guts. “I didn't slack off or plug in any game,” said Zverev.
Zverev as the leader of his generation
It was worth taking a look at Zverev and his peers on the Madrid deadline. Because as much as the Russians Medvedev or Rublev are hyped, as much as one raves about the creativity of the Greek Tsitsipas - Zverev is by far the most successful player in the U25 troupe in the traveling circus. So far he has collected 15 titles, followed by Medvedev (10) and Rublev (8) at a suitable distance. Among the active players of all ages, Zverev now has the most Masters victories after the grandmasters Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray, 4 in number. What is still missing is a Grand Slam title.
He still has three options this season, but it is precisely in these locations that the extremely sprightly veterans show their perseverance. "I feel good to be able to attack everywhere this year," said Zverev, who hardly had time to catch his breath after the victory and the slightly bizarre fast food break. On Monday morning, the plane went to Rome for the next Masters competition. “As long as possible” he wants to stay on the ball and in the action there, according to Zverev, “let's see what works.” But the main goal now is the Grand Slam Festival in Paris. Zverev has already made it to the quarterfinals twice. More is possible and feasible for him. Maybe as early as 2021.
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