Alexander Zverev - weeks of truth begin in Monte Carlo
The year 2019 has so far not been satisfactory for the German number one. With the beginning of the clay court season at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo, Alexander Zverev now wants to attack.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Apr 16, 2019, 09:20 am
In the nice group photo at the reception of Monaco Prince Albert, Alexander Zverev had positioned himself centrally in the second row at the weekend. Not only Albert, the regent, had Zverev on the back of his neck, but also the two tennis alpha men Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal standing in the front row. The pictorial arrangement before the first rallies at the Masters spectacle in the dwarf state is actually the battle order in the tennis world. Zverev is number three in the world rankings in black and white, he is the first pursuer of frontman Djokovic and clay court giant Nadal.
But the situation looks a little different, Zverev does not appear at the moment as if he could squint forward and could endanger the number one or number two. Rather, it looks as if Zverev is about not falling in the pecking order before starting the clay court weeks. And to secure third place or even a place in the narrowest world class against ambitious competition. Against some players who were on the protocol photo in Monte Carlo - Austria's ace Dominic Thiem, the up-and-coming Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Croatian Marin Cilic and also Japan's hero Kei Nishikori. "I want to confirm my good training performance at the tournaments in the next few weeks," said Zverev before starting to slide in the sand. However, he was not immediately successful. At the hurriedly arranged extra stop in Marrakech last week he was eliminated in the second round against the strong Spaniard Jaume Munar, it was once again a defeat against a rival beyond the top 50 in the charts.
The pressure on Zverev increases
Zverev's season has been disappointing and frustrating so far. The German never really got going, the only highlight so far was the endgame participation in February in Acapulco. Most recently, the 21-year-old failed in the big American spring tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in the third and second round, also handicapped by a viral disease. The most emphatic of this game year were Zverev's self-destructive advances in Melbourne, back in January he had repeatedly hammered his racket onto the center court in the rough knockout loss to Canadian Milos Raonic until the tool finally broke. The first big resolution for 2019 had also somehow broken, the formulated claim to finally move into a relevant tournament phase at the Grand Slams.
The pressure on Zverev is now even greater, not just public pressure, pressure from fans or the media. But also the pressure that the next generation's most successful player has put on himself. "So far, the year has not been what I hoped for," says Zverev. Whereby he means only the sporting performance, the undershot hopes. But others remember that background noises like the theater around Zverev's management future would also fit into this shady interim balance. Because the story of the dispute between Zverev and his long-time business owner Patricio Apey - about the further cooperation and the duration or termination of the contract - was ultimately the only material that caused a stir around the tennis star.
Zverev doesn't have much to gain
The weeks of truth are coming for Zverev. It is, so to speak, the curse of good deeds from the previous year that weighs on him. In 2018, alongside Matador Nadal, Zverev was the outstanding and most consistent clay court player - with the semi-finals in Monte Carlo (Masters), the victories in Munich and Madrid (Masters), the finals in Rome (Masters) and the quarterfinals at the French Open. Around half of his ranking list items are therefore up for discussion at the beginning of June.
Zverev doesn't have much to win but a lot to lose, maybe even his top 5 or even top 10 position. After the failures in America, Zverev said he absolutely needed match practice, match toughness. But that is the eternal crux. Gaming experience is only available to those who win again. And win more often. Zverev would have to start now, at the home game in Monte Carlo, on a center court that he can easily reach on foot from his apartment.