The year 2021 is a turning point in Alexander Zverev’s career. He has won five titles so far, setting his top score from the 2017 season. Playfully and tactically, however, the hamburger moves on a different level. “Sascha has now established his world-class performance,” praises Boris Becker exclusively at Eurosport.
That was also evident in the past week. Zverev won the ATP event in Vienna and demonstrated his class in the semifinals against Spain’s super talent Carlos Alcaraz and in the final against Frances Tiafoe. Both challengers were underdogs against the world number four, but called off their best tennis. What often made Zverev nervous in the past left him cold in the town hall.
The Olympic champion knew that he could rely on his serve and that he was the better player overall. He radiated this self-image.
Corretja on the Djokovic case: “That would be bad news”
31/10/2021 AM 09:21
The result: Neither Alcaraz nor Tiafoe took a set against Zverev despite courageous ideas. The rewarded himself with 500 ranking list points. Not enough to improve, the gap to third place, Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece, has melted to 660 points.
Becker: “Zverev has to win more points and tournaments”
Industry leader Novak Djokovic (10340) he can no longer endanger this season, but lay the foundation for a comeback. “He has to win more points and tournaments in the indoor season in order to get into the best position, to be able to go all-out in the 2022 season,” emphasizes Becker.
This season he has the opportunity to do so at the Masters in Paris, the 250cc event in Stockholm and the ATP Finals in Turin.
Becker demands: Zverev has to get into position for first place
What Zverev accommodates: Since August, the calculation of the world rankings has been gradually returning to the old mode that was in place before the start of the corona pandemic. Means: The previous year’s results at a tournament are deleted, the current ones are added.
Djokovic, for example, has to defend a full 2000 points as the reigning champion at the Australian Open in January. It will be even harder for Daniil Medvedev. The Russian has to confirm 2500 points as the winner of the Paris-Bercy Masters and winner of the ATP Finals this autumn.
Zverev: “Two massive weeks ahead of me”
For Zverev, a lot also depends on the performance in Paris, where he scored 600 points as a finalist last year. At the ATP Finals, however, he was eliminated with 200 points and only one victory in the group stage – which offers the chance to make up a lot of ground this year. “The Olympic Games gave me a lot of self-confidence and I have the faith to be able to play every title,” says Zverev. But he knows that he has “two more massive weeks” ahead of him in Paris.
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This also applies to the rivals, because Djokovic could lose his place in the sun to Medvedev this season, the two US Open finalists are only 800 points apart. The Serb is on his guard, especially since it is about a record. If he keeps first place, he will finish a year at the top of his sport for the seventh time – and would thus outperform Pete Sampras, who did this six times.
It would be a success with a signal effect, even in the eternal debate about the so-called GOAT, the greatest player of all time. “This is important for Novak. I don’t think that at some point we will add up how many weeks Federer, Nadal and Djokovic took first place in the ranking, but how often they finished a year at the top,” explains ex-professional Àlex Corretja in Exclusive -Interview with Eurosport.
Becker: “How close do the others get to Djokovic?
The decisive question for the fight for pole position next year, according to Becker, is now: “How close are the other players now getting to Djokovic?”
According to the current status, Zverev has to catch up with 3160 points to number one in the world. Actually a Herculean task, whether the current situation in the ranking is feasible in the medium term. If the new world number one after the Australian Open is actually to be called Alexander Zverev, then everything has to go perfectly.
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