That is why Alexander Zverev cannot (yet) win Wimbledon
Where does Alexander Zverev get his first Grand Slam title? The German number one and his brother Mischa agree: Wimbledon will be the most difficult.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Nov 02, 2021, 10:08 am
If Alexander Zverev could play a match again in his terrific 2021 season - which one would it be? The interested observer could guess here about the knockout loss against Félix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon. Zverev had never had problems against the Canadian in the previous games, but in London the German number one almost shot himself out of the competition. When asked, Zverev let it be known in Vienna that this defeat didn't particularly bother him: "I wouldn't have won Wimbledon anyway."
But what hurt him: The bankruptcy against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals of Roland Garros. Alexander Zverev caught up with a 2-0 set deficit and had an early chance at the beginning of the fifth set to finally make the turnaround clear. “I would only like to have one ball back. Because I wanted to win the tournament in Paris. ”Which would have been possible - especially considering the impressive success in Madrid in the run-up to the second major of the year.
Nadal and Djokovic also needed time at Wimbledon
So where is Alexander Zverev's greatest chance of finally winning his first Grand Slam tournament in the coming year? He didn't want to answer that question himself. The German Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann said a few years ago that the ashes could potentially be the best topping for Zverev. After Rafael Nadal's dominance on the Bois de Boulogne seems to be slowly coming to an end, the chances at the French Open would be pretty good.
Brother Mischa Zverev described his brother's prospects in Vienna to tennisnet as follows. “Sasha's chances are almost the same everywhere, except at Wimbledon. He still has to adjust his game a little. At Wimbledon you first and foremost have to play smart, know your own strokes very well. And your opponent's. Sometimes the most effective stroke is not the most beautiful, but the ugliest. It took Rafa and Novak longer to understand this. After that, they were dangerous. As soon as Sascha knows how to play on grass at Wimbledon - also on the different pitches - then he will be dangerous there. "
Alexander Zverev first contender for the title in Australia?
Mischa Zverev has no doubt that his brother is the challenger in the best position. “For me, Sascha is in front. He has one of the fastest serves, can also deliver matches in which he does not serve double errors and has almost 70, 80 percent first serve rate. His serve is very good, maybe the best. Even if not as difficult to read as Medvedev's. "
On top of that. "Sascha plays the backhand at a speed like no other, maybe not as consistently as Novak Djokovic" continues brother Mischa. “The forehand is quick and good. And then above all the range: Sascha doesn't move like a two-meter man, but like a 1.90 man. If Sascha really plays at his best level, I don't know which weapons could be effective against him. "
Mischa's order for his brother's chances is: "US Open, Australian Open, Paris and then Wimbledon."