Alexander Zverev not suitable for lawn tennis? DTB team boss wants that Michael Kohlman Knowing nothing.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: 07/02/2023, 8:50 p.m
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Alexander Zverev can be optimistic about the 2023 Wimbledon tournament
Michael Kohlmann, Head of Men’s Tennis and Davis Cup captain of the German Tennis Association has a lot to do at the Wimbledon tournament in 2023. Six German men are at the start in singles, with Jan-Lennard Struff missing next to Alexander Zverev from the paper form the most promising, however.
Kohlmann, who played under completely different conditions in Wimbledon during his playing days, appeared in an interview with tennisnet.com wearing a cap from the Atlanta Braves, his favorite Major League Baseball team.
So Michael Kohlman…
… on the cancellation of Jan-Lennard Struff:
That was surprising for me too. Little did I know the problems were so extreme. Jan-Lennard played doubles in Halle. We spoke on the phone after the cancellation and he told me that he had problems after the match against Bublik. Then he had pictures taken, went to a specialist – and everyone advised him not to play here. Now he probably has to take a three to four week break.
… about Alexander Zverev’s draw:
In general, I think Sascha’s draw is okay. I also think he can play very well on grass. For me he is not too big for this rubber, which he said himself. The Achilles’ heel is his serve: If Sascha serves very well, the likes of de Minaur, Alcaraz and Rune can’t beat him here. Sascha won’t have any problems against Gijs Brouwer, even though he won three games in qualifying. The lawn in Roehampton is very different than here.
… about Zverev in a match-up with Novak Djokovic (which would only be possible in the final):
I think Djokovic goes into a match with Sascha differently because he feels he can lose against him. Whether that’s the case on grass remains to be seen.
… about the duel between Yannick Hanfmann and Taylor Fritz
I think Yannick has a good chance because he has had a lot of good wins. But Taylor Fritz is a different caliber in the Grand Slam tournaments than in events during the year. I would agree that this will be a close game, that the two will play maybe five sets. And that Yannick has the net rollers that failed against him on Mallorca on his side.
… about the first task for Daniel Altmaier
Daniel slipped in the last qualifying round in Halle, where he thinks he pulled his muscle. The physiotherapists didn’t find anything muscular, but Daniel pulled out as a precaution. Didn’t play in Mallorca either to prepare well here. Aleksandar Vukic isn’t that well known now, but as an Australian it’s safe to assume he can play well on grass. It’s a doable draw for Daniel though.
… on the German duel between Oscar Otte and Dominik Koepfer:
With Oscar, the pressure of having to defend all those points is gone now. Last year he played a very good “German” summer, with the semi-finals in Munich, Stuttgart and Halle. After his knee injury, he played well against good players, but lost. That gets stuck in your head at some point. I’m happy that he won the three matches here. Of course, I wouldn’t have wished for him to play Dominik now. Dominik has slight problems with his elbow again, so I’m curious to what extent that will hinder him. I think it’s great how quickly he’s played his way back into the top 100.
… about the qualifier Maximilian Marterer:
This is a 50-50 game. Borna Gojo is a very good server who has had his highlights in the team competitions. But it has also played its way up continuously. Maxi, on the other hand, played well here last year, so you take those memories with you. It would be great if he took that first hurdle too.
Here is the men’s individual tableau
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2023-07-02 20:13:35
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