ATP Cup: Alexander Zverev before duel with Novak Djokovic - "The hardest place to beat him"
Alexander Zverev already has to deal with world number one Novak Djokovic in his second match of the season - and is aware of the difficulty of the task, not least because of the venue.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 04, 2021, 01:12 pm
Much has been reported in the past 24 hours about the corona case that occurred in Melbourne, but tennis will be the focus again from Friday. And he really deserved it, because with the duel between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev , a match is on the program that could well be a Grand Slam final.
At least a little bit of the final will blow through the Rod Laver Arena on Friday, because the clash between Serbia and Germany is about nothing less than promotion to the semi-finals. Whoever wins at least two of the three matches is in the semifinals - the starting position is that simple.
"The court on which he feels most comfortable"
The second single between Djokovic and Zverev ( from around 1:30 a.m. CET in the Tennisnet live ticker ) is of no insignificant importance. In view of the almost frightening dominance of the eight-time Australian Open winner in Melbourne, a mammoth task awaits the German number one.
"He's still number one in the world. I think this is the court he's most comfortable on in the whole world. So I think that's the hardest place to beat him," he also knows Zverev informed about the incredible record of the 33-year-old in Australia.
Zverev wants to act courageously
The last defeat of the world number one in Melbourne dates back to 2018, when he lost to Hyeon Chung in three sets in the round of 16. The South Korean beat Djokovic at that time with his own weapons and wearied the Serbs with incredible defensive work. A concept that Zverev will probably not rely on. "I really have to risk more, but also be patient in some phases," said the world number seven.
In the event of a success over Serbia, Germany - which will rely on Jan-Lennard Struff in the first individual of the day - would only be two victories away from triumph at the ATP Cup. A title that would mean a lot to Zverev: "Winning a team event or something for your country is one of the greatest things in our sport." It is similar with a victory over Novak Djokovic in Melbourne.