Erste Bank Open: Mischa Zverev in a tennisnet interview - "Dad is the chief"
Mischa Zverev is a manager and mentor at the side of his brother Alexander at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. In the tennisnet interview, Zverev speaks about his own ambitions, the extinction of serve volley players and Sascha's grand slam chances.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Oct 28, 2021, 11:38 pm
Whether Mischa Zverev also skates, this question might still have to be clarified. When it comes to tennis, the older brother of Olympic champion Alexander Zverev has seen everything. And so hardly a topic remains untouched before Sascha's appearance on the grounds of the Vienna Ice Skating Club.
tennisnet: Mr. Zverev. Professional tennis, your brother's manager, or Eurosport expert - whichever of your jobs is the easiest
Mischa Zverev: Every task is nice. And when you have fun and do the job with a smile, everything is easy. Of course there are always complicated moments: on TV in front of and behind the camera, as a player anyway.
tennisnet : What are the goals of tennis professional Mischa Zverev?
Zverev : The biggest goal is to train a lot again and to be in the condition again, in which I can say: Ok, I am now at 100 percent. And then I want to see how well I still play and who I can beat. At the moment it looks like this: I'm going to a tournament and haven't played tennis in the three days before. Or at the US Open: I worked for Eurosport, didn't touch a racket for three weeks, a few days later I went to another tournament. It goes without saying that I play badly afterwards. If I do everything for tennis - eat right, sleep right, exercise a lot - and still play badly, then it is time to quit.
tennisnet : Together with Sergiy Stakhovsky you are one of the last serve and volley players on the tour ...
Zverev: We mustn't forget Feliciano Lopez! It's still playing. That means I still have many years ahead of me.
"Roger Federer reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon on one leg"
tennisnet : Is it impossible for a young player to come to the top of the world as a serve-and-volley champion in today's tennis?
Zverev: It has become more difficult. The courts and the balls are getting slower and slower - but the strokes are getting faster and faster. The ball flies through the air quickly and with a lot of spin, which is not easy for the net player. If you place the volley now, it just jumps up and stops. In the past, the ball simply slipped off the fast rubbers. Reacting on the net was easier because the balls didn't come that fast. And above all with less spin - that's a big disadvantage for us.
tennisnet : In 2017 you won against Andy Murray at the Australian Open - were the conditions different?
Zverev : Not that much has changed since then, maybe the balls have slowed down a little. But this match was also a godsend. Murray doesn't accelerate the balls like a Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer . When Andy is on the ball, he also has fewer options. Roger can pass you longline fast, longline slowly, on your feet, the same cross, and again with praise. He has so many options. Other players only have two options - and then only one under stress. As a net player you have to be able to read it.
tennisnet : A man who can also celebrate an excellent volleyball game is the aforementioned Roger Federer. Do you think we'll see him again at an ATP tournament?
Zverev : I think so and I hope so too. It's similar to mine, but of course on a completely different level. Roger was not removed from the throne, he was injured. He doesn't lose permanently to the young players, so one would have to say he should quit. If he loses, it usually holds against Novak or Rafa. He wasn't one hundred percent fit at Wimbledon this year - and still reached the quarter-finals. Some people dream of the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. And Roger does it on one leg.
Mischa Zverev - "Sometimes one look from Papa is enough"
tennisnet : Hard change of subject. Her brother Sascha will not play the Davis Cup in Innsbruck. On the one hand, because he doesn't like the format. On the other hand, because of the late appointment. He wants to win the "real" Davis Cup. What do you think of when you hear the word Davis Cup?
Zverev : I played against Spain in Marbella. That was something very special. But if I now imagine that the final will be played in one place and there are two teams from another continent in the final, then that is simply different. And the late appointment is also difficult. Some players don't even come to play in Paris-Bercy, which means they have a long break. And then comes the Davis Cup.
tennisnet : Your father Alexander played the Davis Cup for Russia. Are there any stories he gave you and Sascha?
Zverev: Dad told me that they had to fly to Argentina. It was a crazy journey with seven or eight stops, because the Russians could only fly three or four hours at a time. Before the last game it was 2-2. Number five played, but the rest of the team had to fly back again. They were in the air and the captain told them they had won.
tennisnet: Your father is not so often at Sascha's tournaments anymore. What role does he play in the Zverev team?
Zverev : Dad is the chief. It ensures the necessary rest or the necessary motivation. It's hard to explain at times. Dad does everything. Sometimes one look is enough and you feel better or have more self-confidence. He takes care of the structure.