ATP Finals 2020: Alexander Zverev - "One of the worst matches since the restart"
After the opening defeat against Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals 2020,Alexander Zverev was anything but enthusiastic about his performance. Nevertheless, the German does not want to give up in London yet - also because of a look into the past.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Nov 17, 2020, 12:50 am
There they were again, the problems with the second serve. In the first service game, Alexander Zverev made three double mistakes, in the end there were "only" seven on the game report, but the rate of points won (21 percent) after the second serve was not really satisfactory.
"My service wasn't really there today," said Zverev after the encounter. But off the serve it was a below-average performance, said the 23-year-old: "All in all, it wasn't a good game for me. I think it was one of the worst matches since the start of the season."
2018 could give hope
"That wasn't good enough today to beat a top ten player," said the world number seven, not sparing himself with self-criticism. In addition, the balls and the court would have made life difficult for him: "It's much faster than in Paris and the balls are not easy to control on this surface."
However, a look back at the past could give the native of Hamburg hope. In 2018, Zverev suffered a similar setback in the group phase against Novak Djokovic as against Medvedev, but on the last day of the tournament the German left the London O2 arena as a shining winner.
From now on "normal tournament" for Zverev
But for a déjà vu you have to improve your performance against Diego Schwartzman (Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. CET). Zverev knows that too: "I have to play better and be better on the pitch. If I play like today, I won't win a match this week."
A small advantage for Zverev after the opening defeat could be that arithmetic games are no longer an option for him: "It's a completely normal tournament for me now. If I lose, I'll go home. That's why I have to make the best of it and try to to play my best tennis. "
ATP Finals 2020 London: All information, TV, draw, prize money
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