Everything to zero: Alexander Zverev's new beginning in the family cosmos
Alexander Zverev is facing a completely new beginning: After separating from his trainer, he is now also without management - the family should take care of it again.
by SID
last edit: Jan 18, 2021, 02:04 pm
As if Alexander Zverev had not already experienced enough turbulence in the past weeks and months, his start down under did not go off without unrest. No, this had nothing to do with the corona chaos surrounding the journey to the Australian Open, unlike many tennis stars, the German number one was able to train on the court for the first time on Monday. But before Zverev hit balls with buddy Andrey Rublev, he announced another profound change in his environment.
Just a few days after the end of the collaboration with his Spanish trainer David Ferrer, the man from Hamburg is now without professional management, Zverev announced the end of the Team8 agency via Instagram. He wanted "back to the roots", wrote the 23-year-old - so away from the agency of the Swiss superstar Roger Federer, back into the family cosmos.
Both sides "feel that it is the right decision that my family takes on a bigger role again," wrote Zverev. Father Alexander senior will be responsible for the training again, while brother Mischa and Zverev's friend and hitting partner Sergej Bubka junior, son of the Ukrainian pole vault legend, will also help with management.
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Zverev: Diverse construction sites off the court
This surprising step certainly raises the question of whether this is sufficient for a world-famous tennis star. Especially since Zverev had caused the hustle and bustle with numerous background noises from his private life last year. With the support and marketing of the world number seven, which should also have noticed the agency Team8, which has been responsible for Zverev since 2019, a management has its hands full - whether the many negative headlines about Zverev were a reason for the separation is not known.
Be it the irritations about Zverev's handling of the corona pandemic, the pregnancy of an ex-girlfriend or, above all, the allegations of alleged domestic violence by another former partner - the construction sites off the court were diverse. And only at the end of last year had Zverev won the court in the almost two-year dispute with his ex-manager Patricio Apey .
Zverev: How does 2021 start?
In terms of sport, however, Zverev wants to build on his good year 2020 at the Australian Open (from February 8), in which he was in the semi-finals in Melbourne and just missed his first Grand Slam title in the final of the US Open. However, working with coach Ferrer, who had been at his side since last summer, seemed to do him well. Zverev seemed more mature and calmer on the court.
The Spanish ex-professional said at the beginning of January that it was "not the right time" for him to work together, and that he wanted to be with his family more often, especially in times of the corona pandemic. The family is now ubiquitous again at Zverev - whether this will also lead to success on the court remains to be seen.