“As soon as we go onto the pitch, we put on a mask.” The sentence comes from Alexander Zverev. In fact, it’s often difficult to read the Olympic champion, whether after wins or losses.
All the more remarkable is a statement with which he made people sit up and take notice in the “RTL” documentation “Zverev – The Unfinished”. He was “so scared that it would be over for me at the level,” said the tennis star, referring to his operation last year.
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The injury turned Hamburg’s life completely upside down. Until then, it was well on the way to number one in the world and the first Grand Slam title of the career, but instead he had to watch for more than half a year as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or shooting star Carlos Alcaraz dominated the big tournaments.
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Meanwhile, Zverev was struggling in rehab. “I was always very, very proud of my thighs. They don’t exist now,” he openly admitted during that time.
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The serve, otherwise one of the sharpest weapons, remained blunt – the point rate was low over both first (59%) and second (41%). Zverev didn’t develop any pressure on the return and didn’t have a break chance throughout the game.
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At the match point for Daniel, he went “through the ball” with his backhand on both sides, but the felt ball ended up out of bounds. The unfortunate Masters in Miami almost logically ended for Zverev with a so-called unforced error.
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In the case of Zverev, that would mean that he can only be fully expected again in the hard court tournaments of the US series.
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Nevertheless, the next two months hold a special challenge. The reason: It goes back to sand, the surface on which he sustained the serious injury on June 3, 2022. It remains to be seen whether Zverev has full confidence in his body again when he slides or slides.
“The question is: what happens on sand? That’s where he played his best tennis. When does he dare to go back in full and make the movements?” Eurosport expert Barbara Rittner to consider.
On the other hand, the Olympic champion can look back on great successes on the red surface. In 2017 he won the first Masters title of his career on clay in Rome, and he has even triumphed twice at the Masters competition in Madrid (2018, 2021).
Monte Carlo and Munich in focus
At the 250cc event in Munich, he defended his title from the previous year in a home game in the 2018 season. From mid-April, the 25-year-old will once again be the crowd puller at the Aumeisterweg facility.
The tournament is already sold out from the quarterfinals. Munich and the fanaticism could become a “flow heater” for Zverev on the way up.
Alexander Zverev in Munich
Fotocredit: Getty Images
Ideally, he brings a tailwind from his adopted home of Monaco. The Masters of Monte Carlo takes place there the week before. The goal is conservative. The most important thing is “that Sascha is constantly improving,” Mischa Zverev emphasized recently. That is the case. What is clear, however, is that the younger brother would also like to see these improvements on the results table…
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