Tokyo 2021: golden reconciliation with Zverev?

TFor many, ennis in Germany is still and first and foremost Boris Becker. The boy who started his sport here in the 1980s and cast a spell over an entire country. Becker was a national cultural asset. When “Bobbele” was serving anywhere on the planet, Germany sat in front of the television at any time of the day or night. “Tagesschauen” were postponed for Leimen-based, and newborns were better named Boris than Jan or Stefan.

At that time a folk hero, later smiled at because of various private escapades, today at least recognized as an expert in tennis and therefore currently a sought-after man. With Alexander Zverev’s entry into the Olympic final in Tokyo (Sunday, 10 a.m. CEST), tennis has, at least temporarily, once again reached a level of attention that has not been seen in years. And for Zverev personally, in addition to the gold medal, it is about a second, possibly unique opportunity: to reconcile with the audience in his country.

He laid the foundation for this with his sensational victory over world number one Novak Djokovic on Friday. The German used the role of the outsider ascribed to him and came back in the dramatic semifinals after 1: 6 in the first set and a break deficit in the second set. Zverev defeated the almost invincible Serb who lost his chance for the Golden Slam and lost his match for bronze on Saturday against the Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

Tears after the transformed match point

The audience loves outsider victories, chases to catch up and heroic stories. Zverev gave him all that, this time not only offered high-class, but thrilling tennis, and the tears after the successful match ball should have emotionalized many on the screen. Even Becker was enthusiastic: “You have gone mad,” said the 53-year-old in his appreciation of Zverevs 1: 6, 6: 3, 6: 1 and reminded that the path was not over yet: “There is there is only one problem: you have to play another game. You are sure to have silver, now bring home gold for Germany! “

A statement that bracketed two problems: the Russian Karen Khachanov, number 25 in the world, to be underestimated in the final and – secondly – the relationship between the tennis star and the Germans. Would Zverev head for Germany if he was supposed to bring gold “home”? Origin, home – at Zverev, at least the initial situation is as complicated as its relationship with the public.

The 24-year-old is a true cosmopolitan: Russian parents, spent the first few years in Hamburg, then grew up on the ATP Tour. The family traveled from tournament to tournament with Zverev’s older brother, Mischa. Its capitals are Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. He is registered in Monaco. What else connects him to the area between Flensburg and Berchtesgaden?

Cosmopolitan Zverev lives in Monte Carlo

“I’ve been living in Monte Carlo for a few years now. I like to be there. But my home will always be Hamburg ”, he told the“ Stern ”two years ago:“ Even if the weather was often bad when I came back from the tournaments, Hamburg is the city where I feel most comfortable. ”

He actually meant it that way. And yet most interpreted it as a polite phrase. Because the words were preceded by too many counterexamples and the audience had no opportunity to grow with him and get to know him. When Becker won at Wimbledon at the age of 17, Germany was excited for a boy from Leimen. With a student who attended high school in Heidelberg and who had gone through all age groups in the German Tennis Association. And the name in general: Becker, father: Karl-Heinz, mother: Elvira.

Zverev’s mother is called Irina, father Alexander is a former Soviet Davis Cup player. Both had moved from Moscow to Hamburg in 1991 and saw themselves as a family business when training their sons. The way to some German hearts is a little further. When Zverev was 17, he would have been asked what he was planning, how he felt, how he was doing. You just wanted to know who he is. The problem: media inquiries and public appearances were categorically blocked.

Germany was too small for his management, the market not lucrative enough. Patricio Apey, a busy rascal from Chile, had Asia and North America in mind. And possibly Zverev’s foreclosure was also quite right. Not in the mood for presence, not in the mood for Germany?

Zverev mied den Davis Cup

In his home town of Hamburg, where he learned to play tennis and played his first match as a professional, he retired in 2016 after a provocatively listless performance in the first round, in 2017 and 2018 he did not even appear. He avoided the Davis Cup to a large extent, and he also did not appear for Germany at the Olympics in Rio. Zverev played for himself. There is nothing wrong with that, but nobody should be surprised if sympathies and interests in their home country remain manageable.

Even considerable sporting successes or a rousing appearance at the Daviscup 2016 in Hanover could not trigger any hype. The German audience was alienated with his new number one, and Zverev is not entirely innocent of the image that has burned into many.

However, he is in the process of correcting it, giving himself a new profile. And that for two years. The split from Apey marks a turning point. It was no coincidence that he returned to Hamburg in 2019 and gave his home confession interview. The extent to which the calculation or truthfulness is must be assessed individually. In any case, he strives for a new picture.

What is striking about the approach is the role of his brother. Mischa Zverev never misses an opportunity to emphasize the deep connection to Hamburg and Germany and tries to explain more or less ambiguous statements in a hurry. Like in May, when Alexander Zverev complained after his victory in Madrid that no German journalist was there to ask a question. One can find that arrogant. Three years ago, however, he would not have even noticed the collective absence of German reporters.

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The most important element of the new charm offensive, however, are his regular appearances on the TV broadcaster Eurosport, where brother Mischa was hired directly as an expert in 2020. Since then, the viewer has learned a lot about family life and the dog’s eating plan. In addition to the distance, the content often falls by the wayside, but Zverev is present and gives insights.

When he reached the final at the last US Open and still missed the first Grand Slam title despite the 2-0 lead, something like sympathy was felt in Germany for the first time. The victory over Djokovic, the federal eagle on the headband, continued the rapprochement process. The sympathy levels rise. He doesn’t just play for himself in Tokyo, said Zverev: “Not just for my family. I also play for everyone who watches at home. “