The Brave Comeback of German Tennis Stars – Zverev and Koepfer Prepare for Australian Open Opener

When Alexander Zverev and Dominik Koepfer will serve on Tuesday morning German time in the Margaret Court Arena, the second largest tennis stadium at the Australian Open in Melbourne (live on Eurosport and discovery+), the two German tennis professionals will have one thing in common.

Both had to endure a long period of suffering with a major injury. Consequently, the ATP men’s tour nominated both to vote for the comeback player of the year 2023.

What sets the Davis Cup players apart is how they had to approach this phase. Zverev suffered a devastating collapse before the eyes of the tennis world in the semi-finals of the French Open against Rafael Nadal in 2022 and had to fight back for more than half a year including surgery after a career-threatening diagnosis (a total of seven ligaments were affected, editor’s note).

It took another six months until he regained full confidence in his foot and his performance, which allowed him to reach the semi-finals in Paris again in 2023 and is now one of the extended favorites in Melbourne.

Koepfer before duel: “Pain is still there”

Koepfer, on the other hand, has not yet received a diagnosis for his serious arm and shoulder problems on his batting arm. The 29-year-old is still fighting a fight against a great unknown.

“The pain is still there. But I have found ways to make it a little more bearable on the tennis court and have found a few exercises that help,” the left-hander explained exclusively to Eurosport.

According to Koepfer in Melbourne, it all started two years ago with bone edema in his arm. “But that should actually go away after a break of six to eight weeks. And I gave the arm this break several times and visited different rehabilitation centers for several weeks, saw many doctors and physiotherapists and tried different things.”

Nothing really worked. “Nobody could give me a diagnosis. Nothing can be seen in pictures either. It’s probably more of a functional story,” speculates Koepfer.

Koepfer again at the top of the world

Koepfer has been doing the exercises he developed every day and consistently for almost two years now. “I don’t think the problem will go away completely, especially with the many rallies throughout the week.”

He managed it so that he could play. “Even if I need painkillers after four or five matches to fight my way through the tournament if I go far.”

Koepfer, once in 50th position, almost fell out of the top 300 in the world rankings during his time of suffering. In 2023 he worked his way back up on the Challenger Tour, which is part of the ATP Tour, with a total of five finals.

There was also a semi-final at the ATP tournament in Los Cabos. At the start of 2024, Koepfer won the Challenger tournament in Canberra – including a win against David Goffin. Without making big headlines, Koepfer, who tends to keep quiet in public anyway, quietly and secretly played his way back to 61st place.

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Koepfer and the serve problem

“I managed to be able to train without incredible pain and that is also reflected in the performance,” explains Koepfer. There were times when he didn’t pitch at all in training and only played with his long-time trainer Rhyne Williams – that’s it he didn’t have to serve against other professional players.

“Sometimes I had to go through that to get the quality training for the matches, but then the pain in my arm was actually worse the next day,” he reveals.

Thanks to the exercises and regular physiotherapy, he can now serve occasionally during training and otherwise train fully. “Before that, I always had to throw myself into the deep end without any serve training.”

The fact that he has reached this level again despite limited serve training is noted with admiration in professional circles, as power and consistency in service is one of the most important components in professional tennis.

Koepfer and the difficult path over the Ochsentour

Koepfer, who has always excelled with an above-average return game and strong running skills, looks back on having taken the ox route again over the Challenger Tour as a difficult time.

Compared to the smaller tournaments, the ATP Tour is a paradise. Together with the lack of a diagnosis, some health setbacks and the increased level, it was not an easy time for Koepfer mentally.

According to Koepfer, there is no real difference between world rankings 150 and 70. The level is very high.

“You can also see that in other players who had to and still have to work their way up again, that this is not something to be taken for granted. That’s why it’s all the more gratifying that I managed to do that in 2023. In 2024 I wanted to play the Challenger in order to gain match practice and be successful start. I’m very happy that the plan worked.”

Koepfer before Zverev duel: “Calculate my chances”

From Koepfer’s point of view, the first round duel against Alexander Zverev, who is brimming with self-confidence after the United Cup and two top 10 victories, could now be seen as a kind of reward and bonus match.

Koepfer, however, takes a bolder approach: “I played against him twice and had my chances both times. I also think his arm will be a little heavier at the beginning than in the United Cup, when he had already won a few matches. I do the math I’m already running out of chances. Otherwise I could pack up and fly home.”

Zverev, on the other hand, said in a German media round at the Australian Open facility: “You have to take every opponent seriously. It won’t be easy, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Koepfer hopes to be able to perform at Zverev’s physical level. “I did a lot for my body in preparation, did a lot of fitness and was able to play five matches last week,” he says. There are certainly easier lots. But: “Alex must have thought that too. I don’t know whether he really wanted to play against a German colleague.”

Anke Huber: Koepfer not ideal for Zverev

Anke Huber sees the conditions in the Eurosport interview in a similar way. Koepfer is not a dream for Zverev: “It’s not ideal that Zverev got a German duel in the first round, in which he is also the big favorite. You don’t really like playing that.”

Koepfer himself says he has to be able to deal with the next brutal first round loss after Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open 2023, in which he had to give up after an ankle injury.

Dominik Koepfer has to forfeit his match against Carlos Alcaraz

Photo credit: Image

“I also have belief in myself. I hope that I can somehow put myself in a position where I can win. You also have to see how Alex plays, how well Alex will serve.”

At the same time, Koepfer made it clear that he has a good feeling for the coming months, even if there won’t be any surprises this week – and that for him his body and recovery are above all else. As a result of the ankle injury, a knee problem arose, which was treated with daily physiotherapy.

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Match duration could become a problem

The longer the first round duel lasts, the more difficult it will probably be for Koepfer to keep up physically.

The fact that after the mysterious, long-term problems and constant pain he is once again a serious opponent for Zverev at this year’s Australian Open is an astonishing achievement in itself – which also comes with a Davis Cup nomination for the difficult away duel in Hungary Could be rewarded at the beginning of February.

Captain Michael Kohlmann has left a place open in the squad. The trio Daniel Altmaier, Yannick Hanfmann and Koepfer are expected to fight for this place.

“Of course, the date doesn’t fit everyone’s tournament planning perfectly and you also have to see how far Alex gets and whether he actually plays. I can influence that somewhat with my performance, so to speak for German tennis (smiles), because against strong ones “It’s actually needed in Hungary. But if I’m asked, I’ll of course be there. It’s fun to play with this team,” says Koepfer.

About the person: Jannik Schneider

In addition to his work as a freelance journalist, Jannik Schneider hosts “Advantage – the tennis & sports podcast”, in which he lets personalities from tennis and the wider sports world have their say in long career interviews. He talks to his guests in detail about current topics, but also about doping, manipulation, mental health and much more.

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2024-01-14 22:49:00
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