"Sportsman of the year" as an incentive: Alexander Zverev is already toiling for the next milestone
Alexander Zverev sees the award for Sportsman of the Year as an incentive to add something to the table in 2022. For this, the Christmas celebrations have to be shorter.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit:
Dec 20, 2021, 09:00 pm
Instead of the chic black tuxedo, Alexander Zverev put on his usual training outfit the morning after. The Olympic champion saw the award for Germany's Sportsman of the Year, which he proudly received in Baden-Baden as the first tennis player in 30 years, as an additional incentive. The 24-year-old wants to reach the next big milestones in 2022.
"I still have two goals ahead of me. That is a Grand Slam victory and that I will be number one in the world. In Australia I have the chance to achieve both at the same time," said Zverev, who was at the gala of his Friend Sophia Thomalla was accompanied: "That's why I hope that it will work there." He got on the plane on Boxing Day, and the first major of the year started in Melbourne on January 17th.
Defeat against Djokovic
Zverev, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last season, has long since started preparation after a short recovery trip to the Maldives - two weeks of slogging in the weight room, on the tennis court and sometimes on the beach in Monaco are already in his bones. In between, the native of Hamburg has trips to Germany from time to time. On Saturday he performed in the current sports studio of ZDF, on Sunday it went a little further south to Baden-Baden.
Zverev enjoys the publicity that he earned with six tournament victories including the golden moment at the Olympics in Tokyo. The headlines about the outstanding tennis player were not always so positive, the accusations of an ex-girlfriend hit him.
Zverev: "A special moment"
At the gala in the Kurhaus he couldn't get the grin off his face, grabbed his Sophia and snogged her. And he emphasized the close ties to his family. "It was a special moment when I get such trophies and my family is on stage with me," said Zverev: "Germany is such a successful country in terms of sport. Being elected Sportsman of the Year for the first time, is very special to me. "
He hit the tune by advocating for financially poorer colleagues. Tennis is "a relatively rich sport in contrast to many other Olympic sports," said Zverev, who was awarded next to the long jumper Malaika Mihambo and the women's track cycling foursome: "I just hope that many sports such as athletics or cycling will soon be a little bit catching up - financially, because they deserve it as much as we do. "
And when it comes to their sport, they tick like Zverev. Mihambo, who jumped to gold at the Olympic Games and was now athlete of the year for the third time in a row, also felt the great motivation to step up. "I see the sport as an inner championship," said the 27-year-old, who was also world champion in 2019: "I'm curious to see how far I can jump."