Olympia 2021: Alexander Zverev wins gold in Tokyo – what the coup of the German number one means

Alexander Zverev was literally relieved when he beamed with the newly won gold medal on the winner’s podium of the Ariake Tennis Park.

“I’ve never had such a feeling in my life. You can’t even dream about it. As a tennis player, you dream of playing a Grand Slam or maybe taking part in the Olympics. But having a gold medal is something I like in my life could not imagine “said Zverev in the Eurosport interview.

“I knew that with Karen I was going to meet an opponent who was in top form and that I had to play my best tennis because otherwise I wouldn’t have a chance,” said the newly crowned Olympic champion.

Said and done.

Zverev only needed 79 minutes in the final to trigger a real hype in Germany. “Your greatest success (so far), enjoy the moment and let the whole of Germany celebrate you,” wrote Boris Becker on Instagram.

So could the triumph of Tokyo be the kickstart you need to win titles on the highest tennis stage – that is, at the Grand Slam tournaments?

Zverev: Push through victory at ATP Finals did not materialize

Memories are awakened to the end of 2018. After Zverev’s victory at the ATP Finals in London, it was agreed that this was the knot for the young German to attack properly.

At that time, however, the triumph did not give him any tailwind. As a result, Zverev had to wait more than half a year before he was able to raise a trophy again at the “small” ATP tournament in Geneva at the end of May.

It was to remain his only title for the 2019 calendar year. Even at the four Grand Slam events, where he was denied the big hit to this day, he did not get any further than the quarter-finals over the course of the season.

Why does Zverev keep getting stuck in the four biggest tournaments of the year?

“At Grand Slams he plays for himself and gets nervous, but at the Olympics he plays for the country and doesn’t get nervous. He gets bigger, he gets stronger, he becomes a lion. Olympia is completely different, because you only have them every four years Chance to win it once. And he did it on the first try, he has never played the Olympics, “explained brother and Eurosport expert Mischa Zverev.

Zverev: Murray as a perfect example

Similar to Zverev, Andy Murray, for example, fared in the early stages of his career. The Briton failed again and again at the Grand Slams and had to put in no less than four finals before he won Olympic gold in 2012 and thus gave his career the decisive push.

Just a few weeks after his triumph in London, he won the US Open at Flushing Meadows. Two more Grand Slam titles and again individual gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro should follow.

However, Zverev was able to observe that the pendulum can swing in the completely different direction with his good friend Dominic Thiem, who experienced a year to forget after the greatest triumph of his career, the 2020 US Open victory.

It is the great difficulty in professional tennis to take the next step after great success and to perform at the highest level over a longer period of time.

US Open: Zverev next to Djokovic top favorite

Zverev already has the next chance in four weeks at the start of the US Open (August 30th – September 12th). In his current condition, the hamburger is now one of the absolute top favorites in New York. The fact is, Zverev doesn’t have to hide from anyone – not even from Novak Djokovic, whom he defeated in Tokyo.

But first, Zverev thinks about a little break. “I usually have to fly to Canada. But I don’t know if I’ll do that,” said the 24-year-old: “Maybe I’ll take a week or two and skip a few tournaments. I want to now too first understand and analyze what happened “, but promised:” I’ll be back at the US Open. ”

For the German number one, it is now a matter of transferring the self-confidence gained from the Olympic tournament to the best-of-five matches at the Grand Slam level.

If he succeeds, there are many more moments waiting for Zverev on the podium …