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‘His evolution has been incredible!’ – Top coach impressed with Alexander Zverev progress
Spoiler:
Alexander Zverev has undergone an ‘incredible evolution’ this year, according to Naomi Osaka’s former coach Sascha Baijin.
Zverev has certainly had a fine year, reaching the Australian Open semi-final and the US Open final in 2020.
Much of his success has come since appointing David Ferrer his new coach, with his technique on his forehand noticeably improving, particularly on faster courts.
And that, according to compatriot Baijin, is merely the tip of the iceberg when in comes to what Zverev is actually capable of producing.
“[His] evolution is incredible,” Baijin said of Zverev. “I’m very happy for him too. I’m a fan of his and I like the way he plays.
“I hope the US Open gave him the confidence he needed.
“He’s very athletic for his size and I think he can do a lot more – especially on hard courts that are getting faster again. That should suit his game even more.”
Away from tennis, Zverev has had a much tougher year. He received criticism after being pictured partying just hours after the coronavirus outbreak on the Adria Tour when he was supposed to be isolating.
He has also been the subject of abuse allegations from a former girlfriend, although he has denied them.
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‘Alexander Zverev is a great player, but I don’t respect his comments,’ says Jannik Sinner
Spoiler:
Rising star Jannik Sinner has criticised Alexander Zverev ad urged him to learn from Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer about grace in defeat.
Sinner and Zverev faced off in the fourth round of the French Open this year, with the 19-year-old Italian scoring a fine win over Zverev.
Afterwards, though, Zverev told the media he was feeling unwell and had done for days, promoting suspicion that he had contracted – and played with – Covid.
That was not the case, with the German later saying it was just a cold. However, Sinner did not appreciate the drama and he has accused Zverev of just making excuses.
“I respect him a lot because he’s won more than me, he’s got more experience on the circuit, and he’s a great player,” Sinner said in an interview with Corriere.
“However, I do not respect his statements after his defeat to me at Roland Garros. He contradicted himself a lot.
“He said he had a fever, but in the third and fourth sets, he ran more than me.”
“It seems to me that he was looking for an excuse after his defeat. Federer or Nadal, for example, would never have said such things.”
German reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open
Over the course of eight days, ATPTour.com is serving up a season snapshot of the eight players who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. The series is illustrated by intimate portraits shot by British photographer Simon Owen. So far, we have looked at Diego Schwartzman and Andrey Rublev's year. Today, we examine Alexander Zverev's season.
Memorable Moment
The most memorable moment of Alexander Zverev’s season was also the most devastating. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, and stormed to a two-sets lead as he tried to become the youngest major winner since Juan Martin del Potro at the same event in 2009. But Thiem's shoulders began to loosen as the match wore on, better allowing him to unleash his powerful groundstrokes. And although Zverev did well to maintain his composure and take a 5-3 lead in the fifth set, he was unable to serve out the match and lift the trophy. Instead, Thiem became the first player to rally from two sets down in a US Open championship match.
Key Stat
Zverev arrived in Cologne with two career titles on home soil. In two weeks, without leaving the city, he doubled that total. The German triumphed at both Cologne-1 and Cologne-2, ATP 250 events added to the 2020 calendar due to COVID-19. The 23-year-old went 8-0 at the indoor hard-court tournaments, earning impressive straight-sets victories against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Diego Schwartzman in the two finals, respectively.
Quotable
”Yeah, I mean, I'm 23 years old. I don't think it's my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point."
The Road Ahead
Zverev has maintained his place inside the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings since July 2017. Now, the German will try to return to the Top 5 for the first time since July 2019. Zverev enjoyed the best results of his Grand Slam career in 2020, reaching his first semi-final at the Australian Open and coming desperately close at Flushing Meadows. The former Nitto ATP Finals titlist and three-time ATP Masters 1000 champion will try to use those experiences to claim his maiden major hardware.
Tenisista broniący się zawartością gabloty. Spoglądamy na nią, a tam 13 trofeów, w tym kilka wyjątkowo cennych jak puchar za wygranie ATP Finals czy trzy trofea przywiezione z turniejów ATP Masters 1000. A przecież należy się spodziewać, że Alexander Zverev będzie miał jeszcze więcej do powiedzenia, kiedy na zasłużoną emeryturę odejdą Novak Dżoković, Rafael Nadal i Roger Federer.
Choć Zvereva wciąż mamy za tenisistę młodego, to należy pamiętać, że w cyklu ATP jest już od ładnych kilku lat. W 2015 roku zadebiutował w Wielkim Szlemie, a już rok później wygrał pierwszy turniej głównego cyklu. Minęło kolejnych kilkanaście miesięcy, a Zverev był już w pierwszej dziesiątce rankingu ATP. Mieliśmy więc do czynienia z nadzwyczaj prężnie rozwijającą się karierą. Zverev szybko dojrzał do wygrywania bardzo ważnych meczów. Federera czy Dominika Thiema pokonał jako nastolatek, Dżokovicia tuż po 20. urodzinach.
Z kolejnymi sukcesami rosła presja nakładana na Niemca podczas występów w Wielkich Szlemach. W nich Zverev grał albo słabo, albo przeciętnie. Ostatnio poprawił statystyki, ale wciąż nie rzucają one na kolana. Mówimy przecież o jednym z najlepszych tenisistów dekady, tymczasem Niemiec tylko czterokrotnie osiągał fazę ćwierćfinału. Będą jeszcze w tym rankingu tenisiści, którzy takie wyniki osiągali w ciągu jednego sezonu i potrafili je powtarzać niemal co roku. Przy okazji Wielkich Szlemów warto zatrzymać się przy zeszłorocznym US Open. Ileż to było narzekań, że Zverev gra przeciętnie, że nie trafił na żadnego z najmocniejszych rywali, aż w końcu dotarł do finału i dwie wygrane piłki dzieliły go od wielkiego zwycięstwa. Życzymy każdemu tenisiście, żeby grając poniżej swoich możliwości, osiągał tak znakomite rezultaty.
Tenis. Alexander Zverev zakończył współpracę z agencją Rogera Federera
Spoiler:
Alexander Zverev nie jest już członkiem agencji Team8, którą założyli Roger Federer i jego menadżer Tony Godsick. Niemiecki tenisista postanowił znów otoczyć się swoimi najbliższymi.
Ostatni rok był dla Alexandra Zvereva niczym roller coaster. Na polu zawodowym Niemiec osiągnął premierowy finał w Wielkim Szlemie i był o krok od wygrania US Open 2020. Wziął także udział w cyklu Adria Tour, podczas którego doszło do kilku zakażeń koronawirusem SARS-CoV-2. Gorzej było w kwestiach prywatnych. Najpierw dowiedział się, że zostanie ojcem (z dziewczyną, która chciała wychowywać dziecko sama), a potem inna była partnerka publicznie oskarżyła go o pobicie.
W poniedziałek pochodzący z Hamburga zawodnik ogłosił na Instagramie, że nadszedł czas na zmiany. "Chciałbym podziękować TEAM8 za wspaniałą pracę i ogromne doświadczenie, ale oboje uważamy, że to właściwa decyzja, aby ponownie wzrosła rola mojej rodziny" - napisał reprezentant naszych zachodnich sąsiadów.
W ostatnich latach interesy Zvereva reprezentowała firma Team8, którą założyli Roger Federer i jego menedżer Tony Godsick. Obaj są odpowiedzialni także za organizację Pucharu Lavera. Teraz Niemiec postanowił powierzyć najważniejsze obowiązki swoim bliskim. Jego trenerem będzie ojciec, Aleksander senior, bo zrezygnowano ze współpracy z Davidem Ferrerem. Kwestiami menadżerskimi zajmą się natomiast brat tenisisty, Mischa, a także były ukraiński zawodnik Siergiej Bubka Jr (syn legendarnego tyczkarza).
23-letni Zverev zajmuje obecnie siódme miejsce w rankingu ATP. Aktualnie przebywa w Melbourne, gdzie przechodzi dwutygodniową kwarantannę przed pierwszymi startami w sezonie 2021. Najpierw zagra w ATP Cup (1-5 lutego), a następnie w wielkoszlemowym Australian Open (8-21 lutego).
Alexander Zverev is hoping to perform better for Germany at the ATP Cup, which begins on 2 February in Melbourne. Having gone 0-3 after facing three Top 20 opponents in the tournament last year, the 23-year-old is looking to deliver against Group A opponents Serbia, the defending champion, and Canada.
“I've been working extremely hard in the off-season,” said Zverev. “I'd like to think that I did everything I could to be as well-prepared as I can be… I definitely want to perform better for my team, for myself. give ourselves the best chance that we can to go deep here.”
Zverev's path to a first ATP Cup victory is no easier this year. The 13-time ATP Tour titlist will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov — one of the three men he lost to in last year’s tournament — in Group A.
“We'll know exactly where I'm at, know exactly how my level is, know exactly what I need to improve still,” said Zverev. “There are no easy matches. I think that just shows at the ATP Cup.”
Regardless of results, one of the most exciting elements of this competition will be the return of packed crowds in Melbourne. Zverev took the chance to praise Australia’s successful approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and shared his excitement to perform in front of full stands for the first time in almost a year.
“Tennis Australia did a great job for us tennis players to still be able to feel like we can practise, we can prepare for a Grand Slam. Hopefully, we can show our best tennis,” said Zverev. “I think Australia has been dealing with coronavirus the best that any country has in the world. Being able to play in front of a crowd, not living in a bubble now during the tournament, I think a lot of players really appreciate that.”
Ahead of the 2021 ATP Tour season, Zverev parted ways with coach David Ferrer. The Spaniard began working with Zverev in July last year, prior to the 6’6” right-hander’s run to his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open. Zverev will continue to work with his father, Alexander Zverev Sr. and receive support from his brother and former Top 30 player Mischa Zverev.
“I think we left everything open with David. I think with my dad and with my brother, Mischa, who was with me during the US Open, more involved now, I have a great coaching team,” said Zverev. “I think I can win big tournaments with the coaching staff that I have.”
Mischa will play an integral role at this year’s ATP Cup. Not only will he support his brother, he will lead his nation as Captain. The 2017 Australian Open quarter-finalist emphasised the importance of team spirit ahead of Germany’s first tie against Canada on Day 2.
“It's a unique experience… I hope we can, first of all, have a good time together as a team and win some matches,” said Zverev. “I think the biggest challenge for every captain is to create a team spirit so that every member of the team is really feeling like they're an important part of the whole ensemble. We go out there, we win together, we lose together, but at the end of the day we still have dinner as a team and we can still smile and laugh and get ready for the next days.”
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With two wins from three matches, Jan-Lennard Struff was Germany’s most successful player at last year’s ATP Cup. The German returns this year as the No. 2 singles player and will open Germany’s Group A ties with matches against Dusan Lajovic and Milos Raonic.
“I'm really excited. It was a very good event last year. It was beautiful to start the year off with such a nice event,” said Struff. “I'm very happy to be able to participate this year again. It's a privilege to be here. It's an honour to play for my country again. It's going to be very challenging. We have a tough group.”
If Zverev and Struff claim one victory from the opening two matches of the tie, the fate of Germany will rest in experienced hands. For the second straight year, two-time Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies will represent their country in Australia.
Last year, Krawietz and Mies claimed one win from three doubles encounters. Mies is confident that the pair can improve on that record in 2021 and do their part to provide Germany with a better chance of reaching the knockout stage.
“I don't think it's extra pressure. We've been in the situation before... I think we had a good pre-season. We're ready to play,” said Mies. “We know the situation. We know if it's 1-all, it comes down to us. We feel confident. I think we're a great team. We hope for the best. I think we underperformed a little bit last year as a team, as a whole group. I thought Struff played extremely well. I think Sascha and me and Kevin, we can do a bit better this year.”