Alexander Zverev hasn’t always made it easy for sports fans in this country in recent years. Again and again he countered his undeniable talent on the tennis court with private escapades that caused quite a shake of the head. Just remember his self-imposed corona quarantine after the Participation in the controversial Adriatic Tour last summer and the pictures that showed him a few days later at a party on the Côte d’Azur.
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On the way to the longingly desired successor to Boris Becker and thus a German tennis idol who unites everyone, the 24-year-old repeatedly tripped himself up in his early career days. Zverev’s statements after his great Olympic victory on Sunday therefore seem like a large-scale charm offensive. The steering wheel of the previously unapproachable is on the course of reconciliation: He did not play a single second for himself, this medal belongs to all of Germany, said the tennis professional, who has his main residence in Monaco.
In the end, these are big words first of all. And Zverev is also allowed a little pathos in the exuberance of happiness. After all, an Olympic victory is one of the greatest things athletes can achieve. At the same time, the native of Hamburg now has to be measured by his words. If he stays with the new modesty and adds the sporting success expected by experts in the form of a victory at a Grand Slam tournament, Zverev has the opportunity to become a very big champion. He is still under observation.
