Alexander Zverev is still not quite enough to beat the top stars. But the tennis pro has increased his chances by changing his game. He believes his big dream “will happen”.
After the exhausting US double-header, Alexander Zverev was looking forward to a bit of rest at home. The German tennis star left America without another title in his luggage, but with an important insight: his new style of play has brought him closer to the exceptional players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. And respect for the Zverev 2.0 version has increased noticeably.
“He played incredibly well,” enthused Sinner after his 6:3, 7:6 (7:4) victory over his semi-final opponent Zverev at the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. It was his seventh win in a row against the German – but it was more hard-fought than the result suggests. While the Italian hard court dominator had had a relatively easy game in the final round in Indian Wells two weeks earlier, the two were now completely on equal terms.
“Really dominant”: Zverev impresses with his play
Zverev, who wants to shed his often criticized passivity this season and act more courageously and aggressively from the baseline, played some inspiring tennis at times. Even with his otherwise sometimes shaky forehand, he managed to hit spectacular winning shots. “I had the feeling that I was really dominant from the baseline,” said the 28-year-old. Under pressure, Sinner made an unusually high number of mistakes.
A single weak service cost Zverev the first set, and he lost the tie-break in the second round due to a failed overhead smash at 4:4. “I lost sight of the ball a bit, jumped up and mistimed it,” said Zverev about the scene. But unlike often after defeats, he wasn’t beating himself up this time: “That’s the way it is. We move on.”
Because Zverev has seen: He is on the right track. He was also successful in the previous rounds in Miami and in the quarter-finals of Indian Wells against the talented Frenchman Arthur Fils with a more offensive style of play. And this is the only way the new world number three has a chance against Sinner and Alcaraz, who otherwise take the initiative themselves and overwhelm their opponents with their play.
Zverev feels his big goal approaching
“I probably won’t break any records. But one of the things that’s really important to me is to improve my game so that I can win a Grand Slam,“ said the 2021 Olympic champion: ”I absolutely feel that I’m capable of doing that.” Last year, he didn’t think he was capable of winning a title at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments due to various injuries. “I feel different this year, I feel that it can happen – and will happen.”
What he is still missing for the really big coup is undoubtedly the conviction in the decisive moments. That was the case in the semi-final of the Australian Open against the ailing Alcaraz, and it was also the case against Sinner in Miami. For some, Zverev was even the better player that evening over the entire match – but not on the big points.
Zverev might not like this statistic at all
This statistic from the data provider Opta fits in with this: apart from the ATP Finals, Zverev has now lost twelve matches in a row to another top five player. Since the world rankings were published in 1973, only David Ferrer (15) has had a worse run in this respect.
Zverev certainly has his best Grand Slam chances at the French Open on his favorite surface, clay. He kicks off the clay court season with a start at the Masters 1000 tournament in his adopted home of Monaco on April 5. There, the Spanish world number one Alcaraz will be extremely motivated to attack again after his early exit in Miami, and Sinner will also be there.