ATP Cup: Alexander Zverev and the Canadian Deja-Vu
For the third time in a row, the German team has been drawn into a group with Canada at the ATP Cup. For a change, Alexander Zverev doesn't have to deal with Denis Shapovalov this time.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 07, 2021, 07:09 pm
The tension in the German team before the draw for the ATP Cup 2021 may have been limited, because one thing was somehow clear from the start: It will also go against Canada in the third edition. The fact that English is also spoken in the rest of Group C with Great Britain and the USA is more of a side note. The memories against the British are still fresh and, above all, good: Last Tuesday in Innsbruck, Germany secured a place in the Davis Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 win, which ended against Russia.
However, Jan-Lennard Struff went ahead, who will step back into the second link behind Alexander Zverev at the ATP Cup, which begins on January 1, 2022 in Sydney. The Olympic champion from Tokyo is known to boycott the new Davis Cup mode, but Zverev likes to pull himself up for the ATP Cup. And now for the third time in a row against Canada, even if Zverev's single opponent is not called Denis Shapovalov this time. Zverev lost to the left-hander in 2020 and returned the favor at the beginning of 2021. Now it should go against Félix Auger-Aliassime , who is ahead of Shapovalov in the ATP charts.
Zverev and Struff with good results
The pleasure of dealing with Shapovalov then rests with Jan-Lennard Struff. And the German number two basically always feels joy when it comes to Shapo: The record shows five wins for Struff and only two for the Canadian. By the way, Zverev leads 4: 1 against Auger-Aliassime in head-to-head. The only defeat this year happened in the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
Should there be a decision in doubles against the Canadians, Germany will have the best cards with Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz. Both of them shone in the Davis Cup and are still unbeaten in the most traditional team competition. The most surprising thing at this point is that Krawietz does not go to the Bütt with Andreas Mies. Just like he plans for the rest of the 2022 season. But Pütz and Krawietz apparently enjoyed each other so much at the Olympics that they simply took the days of Sydney with them.
In 2021, the German team defeated Canada 2-1 in the preliminary round, but failed as group winners in the semifinals to Russia. At the premiere in 2020, the Canadians were 2-1 ahead - because Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime narrowly won the double against Krawietz and Mies.