Alexander Zverev, in the quarterfinal match at Roland Garros against Carlos Alcaraz. /
semifinals
The German, eternal alternative to the ‘Big Three’, has wandered between occasional successes and scandals in recent times
Alexander Zverev is one of the most fit players of his generation. Tall, strong and with a wonderful backhand, but at 25 years old he has not yet been able to show that he has enough material to be the champion that everyone expected when he burst onto the circuit beating Roger Federer in 2016 at Halle 2016, a tournament that the Swiss has won ten times.
His Grand Slam record is extremely poor for the expectations he raised in 2017, the year of his first great wounds, the 1,000 Masters in Rome and Canada. Two titles that exhibited his ability to adapt to both cement and clay. However, his progression in the small tournaments was not followed by a similar line in the Grand Slams.
His first round of 16 were at Wimbledon 2017, his first quarters at Roland Garros 2018 and it was not until January 2020 that he stepped into the semifinals. Along the way, one more Masters 1,000 (Madrid 2018) and a Masters Cup (London 2019) fell, but Zverev did not take the final step while the ‘Big Three’ lived a second golden age. He also took the gold medal in Tokyo, ending Djokovic’s Golden Slam, but without reply in the Majors.
His problems with the right, light years away from the backhand, and a continuous cyst with double faults, more mental than anything else, weighed him down when it came to competing with the best. To that have been added his problems off the track, numerous for a professional athlete. First, the accusations of mistreatment by his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, a matter that is still in the hands of the ATP, which has been investigating it for several months.
Then, his unconsciousness when skipping the covid protocols in the middle of the pandemic, publishing party photos, and finally the altercation in Acapulco a few months ago. The one from Hamburg, in a fit of rage in a doubles match, repeatedly hit the judge’s chair, which led to a penalty of 23,000 euros, expulsion from the tournament, loss of points earned and an eight-week suspension without playing, which would not be applied in case of not reoffending.
their scandals
However, despite his scandals, this 2022 is being fruitful for Rafa Nadal’s rival this Friday. He has reached the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and Rome and lost the final in Madrid, visibly tired from a semi-final played the day before until the wee hours of the morning. His momentum this season has allowed him to establish himself in the top three of the ranking and have a chance to be number one for the first time in his career.
If he wins in Paris, Zverev will replace Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP. If he loses in the semi-finals or the final, number one will be Daniil Medvedev. Zverev could become the first German to be number one since Boris Becker in September 1991. And all this with a Spaniard on the bench. Sergi Bruguera is Zverev’s coach, which has also brought him criticism, for combining this job with that of the Spanish Davis Cup coach.
This Friday, at the Philippe Chatrier, Zverev will have the challenge of giving continuity to the end of his curse. Until the victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, he had accumulated eleven losses in eleven games against the ‘top ten’ in Grand Slam, the great black point of his career. Djokovic, on three occasions, Dominic Thiem (3), Stefanos Tsitsipas (1), Tomas Berdych (1), Milos Raonic (1), Andy Murray (1) and Nadal (1) stopped the German’s path in the Majors.
He could redeem himself this Friday against a Nadal who has won six matches against him and four of them on clay. The only one in a Grand Slam was also kept by the Spanish, in the third round of the 2017 Australian Open.
