French Open: On new Parisian terrain - Alexander Zverev's mission is entering the crucial phase
Alexander Zverev is aiming for the finals at the French Open 2021 - and relies on his family ties in the run-up to his match against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jun 09, 2021, 02:14 pm
The first semi-final at the French Open was less than a quarter of an hour old, when Alexander Zverev was ready for the extra shift. He endured one or two short mandatory interviews after the effortless three-set success (6: 4, 6: 1, 6: 1) against the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, then the 24-year-old giant shouldered his bag and marched off Center Court away to a side square. There he would bang whole series of serves away from the racket, in all possible variations, always at Formula 1 speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour. "I was dissatisfied with how things went in the game with the serve," said Zverev later, a man who doesn't just take part in a Grand Slam tournament in Paris. Zverev is on a mission, and that means: To win the title, even against the really big boys, so in a possible final against Rafael Nadal. First, however, the Hamburg native has to tackle the tricky semi-final task against the formally strong Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas ( three-set semi-final win against world number two Daniil Medvedev ), the generation colleague who is one place ahead of him in the ranking list, in 5th place.
When Zverev spontaneously scheduled the special training after the Grand Slam work, a picture typical of those days was to be seen. Only about three meters from the server Zverev, at twice the corona distance, watch father Alexander Zverev sr. every movement, every technical detail of the son. Outside, on the otherwise empty grandstand, brother Mischa Zverev watched with interest, not in the least astonished at the increase in the daily workload. "Sascha wants to play for the tournament here, so he goes the extra mile," says the 33-year-old, who is still on the professional tour himself. But who has long since grown into a completely different role than his brother's manager and advisor. And as a mediator between the world-class player, who is not always easy to care for, and the public, at the TV broadcaster Eurosport, as an "expert" he always provides insights into the thoughts of the current French Open title candidate. The older Zverev is smart enough not to let the background descriptions turn out to be too partial.
Family business Zverev
Not only because the Corona times make it necessary to slim down personal entourage, the family company Zverev is back in its core structure - with father Zverev as a coach, with brother Mischa as a supporter in all possible situations and with mother Irina as the good soul of the Operating. Zverev has tried a lot in the years of his ascent in the world of the traveling circus, he allied himself with prominent coaches such as Ivan Lendl, Juan Carlos Ferrero or David Ferrer, he was looked after by two well-known management agencies. But the 198-centimeter giant feels most comfortable in the smallest family circle, in familiar surroundings, with people he knows that they trust him without reservation and support him 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Often enough, Zverev had been recommended in the recent past to look for new impulses beyond the family structures, to seek athletic or mental advice from competent people in the scene. But it was not heard by Zverev, especially not in the case of the coaching job: “My father will always be my coach. I owe everything to him and my mother, ”says Zverev.
#VIDEO#
It is true that there is always a crash between father and son - with more or less greater intensity - but also in the most important matches on the largest stages, the 24-year-old always seeks discreet eye contact with the coaching dad. Even small tactical hints are exchanged during the discreet communication, the game film does not run completely self-determined and responsible for the sixth in the world rankings. “His father knows him best. He knows exactly what shape he is in every moment of the game, ”says Boris Becker, former head of the DTB. So father Zverev sat in the team box as a matter of course when his son played for Germany and provided captain Michael Kohlmann with tips for the break meetings.
Zverev has reached a new level of maturity
The slogan “Family first” also fits that Brother Mischa is actively involved in monitoring opponents. The first of the Zverev brothers who once got into professional tennis and missed the leap to the top is a razor-sharp observer with an analytical eye - and he even knows one or two rivals from his own experience. However, he is also the most incorruptible eyewitness and scout when it comes to Brother Sascha himself. “I'll tell him what's up. Not what he somehow wants to hear, "says Mischa," but I believe that Sascha has now found his place in great tennis, the Grand Slams. "
The German frontman actually leaves this impression more than ever at this French Open. The impression of a man who has reached a new level of maturity as a professional player - with all the experience gained, with the digested disappointments, with the knowledge of how to master this challenging ordeal of a Grand Slam competition over two long weeks. This also includes not slacking off now, not feeling any satisfaction about the mere first semifinal participation in Paris. The hardest and maybe the best is yet to come for Zverev. The games that the young Zverev once dreamed of with the whole family. "I can look forward to it later," says Zverev.
Here the single tableau in Roland Garros
rgmap