ATP Doha: Alexander Zverev tried to equalize against Andy Murray
Tomorrow there will be the fourth meeting between Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray at the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Doha. There is actually no favorite role to be identified.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Feb 21, 2023, 07:59 pm
It is now one of the unwritten laws in the professional tennis circus that a first-round game by Andy Murray must go over three sets. And that these matches are decided in the tie-break at the very end. See also the first round appearance against Matteo Berrettini at the Australian Open.
And so in Doha in the round of 16 there will be a fourth meeting between Murray and Alexander Zverev. In the balance sheet, the Olympic champion in singles from 2012 and 2016 is ahead of his successor in 2021 with 2-1 wins. It is also amazing that the two have only met three times on the ATP tour, most recently in Indian Wells 2021, where the German was victorious 6: 4 and 7: 6 (4).
If it is up to the paper form, then Zverev is also the favorite in the round of 16 of the 250 in Doha. After all, he is still ranked 16th in the charts, while Murray is 70th. On the other hand, Murray has already delivered a few instant classics this year (in addition to beating Berrettini, especially at the Australian Open, where the veteran scored a 0: 2 sets behind against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Zverev is waiting for two wins in a row
Alexander Zverev also had to go over five sets in Melbourne at the beginning, the success against Juan Pablo Varillas was the first since the comeback. However, neither in Melbourne nor at the Davis Cup against Switzerland nor in Rotterdam was there a confirmation of a win: In Trier, Zverev first beat Stan Wawrinka and lost to Marc-Andrea Huesler the next day. In Rotterdam they first beat Soonwoo Kwon and then lost to Tallon Griekspoor. The consistency has not yet returned to the German number one, no wonder after the long injury break.
One thing Alexander Zverev will definitely get against Andy Murray when looking for balance and consistency: rhythm. Because Murray's game still lives on the defensive and the game intelligence. Another reason why the three-time major champion often struggles longer than competitors with more pronounced weapons.