AHe didn’t want to dwell on what he called “a bit of bad luck” for too long. One hour after being eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev quickly turned his attention to the big picture. “I can’t really blame myself for being seven months out. I can’t expect myself to take every chance on the pitch.” You have to be realistic, look ahead and say: “It will get better in the coming months.”
In the 7:6, 4:6, 4:6, 2:6 defeat after 3:26 hours of play against the American Michael Mmoh, there were a few moments in which the German could have found his way back into the match. Although Zverev was plagued by pain in his right rear thigh from the end of the first set and he moved worse and hit the ground. Late in the third set, for example, he had worked out two of his ten break chances at the end. On both balls, however, a roll of the net ended a potential catch-up race before it really began.
Feel-Good-Story von Melbourne
Instead, Mmoh used the opportunity of his life, held his serve to 5: 3 and disarmed the now visibly frustrated Zverev a little later to 6: 3. 46 minutes and two breaks later, Zverev’s comeback tournament was over. Mmoh, on the other hand, is in the third round of a Grand Slam competition for the first time ever.
It’s one of Melbourne’s feel-good stories so far: The 25-year-old had already failed in qualifying and was on his way to the airport when he was called on Tuesday to move up into the peloton. In the first round against Frenchman Laurent Lokoli, he saved a match point and won in five sets. Now he defeated the former number two in the world rankings, the two-time ATP Finals winner, Olympic champion and US Open finalist Zverev.
The best German tennis player likes to measure himself against these merits. But more than seven months after he tore seven ligaments in the ankle of his right foot in the semifinals of the French Open against Rafael Nadal, he was still far from the form of past successes at the first major tournament since his return to the tennis court – like Zverev himself remarked: Mmoh did his stuff very well. “But it’s also no secret that I’m still far from my best level.” He is glad that he has a good three months until the next Grand Slam tournament in Paris.
Since arriving from the newly created United Cup in Sydney, where he has not yet presented himself competitively, Zverev has made up some of the training deficit with an outstanding work attitude and up to four sessions a day with the returned coach Sergi Bruguera and his father. Physically and playfully, Zverev has already improved a lot in the many training sets against Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem, among others.
But match practice, which Zverev emphasized in pretty much every interview in the days of Melbourne, is irreplaceable. The two performances in Melbourne turned into real rollercoaster rides. His level of play fluctuated from very short, dominant phases to tense moments that made him lose control. In round one, Zverev improved against Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas, who was unknown on hard courts, in an outstanding tie-break of the fourth set and secured victory after more than four hours of play. He felt the physical consequences on Thursday.
“I had a bit of pain in my back thigh, probably as a result of the first match,” said Zverev. That prevented him a bit from jumping up on serve. “The pace just wasn’t there. It comes from being out a long time and the body isn’t used to playing five sets and having physical matches like that.”
He still doesn’t have a real feeling for the game, “no feeling for what I have to do in different situations,” Zverev explained the fluctuations in performance. The 25-year-old had an exceptionally good start in the first set with forehand winners and net attacks that only a confident Zverev plays.
After a playful low he played a very good tiebreak again, leaving Mmoh only one point. “When you win a tie-break like that, you have to stay focused and shift up again. Instead, I try to play fast and go for winners, although I don’t need to,” said Zverev. Then he sometimes plays too passively, although he should do more. “It’s all still a bit out of place, and that’s going to take a while too.”
Above all, Zverev now wants to train. “I have hard work ahead of me to get where I used to be.” In two weeks, Zverev plans to serve against Switzerland at the Davis Cup in Trier. Patience has never been Zverev’s strength. The longing for his old form and new successes, coupled with the work attitude of the past few days, could at least bring him within reach of world class again at the beginning of the clay court season in spring.
