Australian Open 2022: Krawietz and Mies brighten the mood
Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies will play doubles together again in 2022. The two got off to a good start at the Australian Open.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 21, 2022, 03:25 pm
Alexander Zverev never tires of talking about his big dream in Melbourne either. From the dream of finally winning one of the four major tournaments in tennis this season. "Absolutely" he wants to master this challenge, says Zverev: "It's time for me to make the Grand Slam breakthrough. I'm ready for it. ”The fact that there are two active German players in Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies who have already crowned their careers with this spectacular coup is almost forgotten when the view of Zverev is often narrowed. The sworn double brothers in spirit, the two-time French Open winners have just returned to the big stages at the Australian Open Championships. And ensure title hopes beyond Olympic champion Zverev, sooner or later.
For a year, the partnership between the reserved Krawietz from Coburg and the spirited Mies from Cologne was virtually suspended. Mies had to undergo complicated knee surgery, and the mandatory break lasted for the entire 2021 game series. For the first time since their second French Open triumph in autumn 2020, they are now starting again in Melbourne as a Grand Slam alliance - and right away they mostly play with familiar harmony and power. On Friday they even reached the round of 16 of the major competition in Melbourne for the first time in their doubles career. After a hard fight they defeated the American duo Austin Krajicek/Sam Querrey 6:4, 6:7 (7:9) and 6:4. "We still need a little bit to be 100 percent again," said Mies afterwards, mostly the spokesman for the tennis allies, "but we are relieved to have found our way into the tournament so well. Next opponents of "Kramies" are now the Australian John Peers and the Slovakian Filip Polasek.
Zverev in the round of 16 against Shapovalov
The winners in the doubles competition also brightened the mood in the German camp a little, in which Zverev was sadly the last soloist after the two opening rounds. Germany's athlete of the year 2021 has so far fulfilled his duty and obligation in Melbourne, no more and no less. He survived the first week of the tournament without losing a set - on Friday he won 6:3, 6:4 and 6:4 against the Moldovan Radu Albot. In the round of 16 he now meets the Canadian left-hander Denis Shapovalov, it should be by far the most difficult test for the third in the world rankings. "Hopefully I won't play much worse than today," said Zverev sarcastically before he - dissatisfied with his performance - allowed himself an extra shift on the training ground on Friday.
Krawietz and Mies are initially even more modest in their claims and expectations. The reunited aces have to find the perfect fine-tuning on the pitch after the long break. “Doubles at this level means, above all, being totally attuned to each other. Every detail has to fit, otherwise you can't get involved at the top," says Krawietz, the quiet Bavarian, who worked alongside Romanian Horia Tecau last season and even reached the ATP finals with the substitute partner. It was always clear that the German champions would come together again once Mies had recovered from his injury. "We stayed true to ourselves: You have to stand together in good times and bad," says Mies, "after all, a partnership like this is also a kind of marriage." ’: ‘You also understand what you have in each other. How valuable this partnership is.”
The two Davis Cup players already gained self-confidence for the Grand Slam task at the last preparatory tournament in Sydney – their campaign only ended in the semi-finals. Now the two world-class players want to slowly but surely find their way back to full strength and continue to cause unrest in Melbourne. After all, moments of surprise at the big tournaments are their specialty, who knows how and when this restart at the Australian Open will end for Krawietz and Mies.
Here the double tableau in Melbourne
laver arena