His first match at the BMW Open? Alexander Zverev feels like it was yesterday. He lost 1:6, 2:6 against the Austrian Jürgen Schmelzer and had “no chance,” as he himself admits. However, that was ten years ago. On Saturday, when the semi-finals are coming up at the BMW Open, Zverev will celebrate his 27th birthday. “I’m slowly getting old,” he says and laughs, “but careers are getting longer and longer. Some people don’t start until they’re 27 or 28, to play really well.”
The German number one has been playing really well for a while, so it’s understandable when Zverev says: “I’m overjoyed with what I’ve already achieved.” But that doesn’t mean he’s happy with it, on the contrary. Zverev still has a lot to do and knows what is still missing: a Grand Slam victory and a place at the top of the world rankings.
Zverev on injury disaster against Nadal: “Something like 2022 can’t happen again”
Two years ago he was very, very close to this goal. “I only needed one more win to become number one,” he remembers. But then he twisted his ankle in the semifinals of the French Open against Rafael Nadal and was unable to finish what was probably the best match of his career so far, and instead was out for months with seven ligament tears. “Something like 2022 can’t happen again,” says Zverev today.
As for the still missing Grand Slam victory, he believes he is “on the right track,” as he puts it: “This year too, I was only two points away from a Grand Slam final,” he says the strange defeat against Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open. Most recently he was eliminated in the round of 16 at the Masters in Monte Carlo against eventual tournament winner Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nevertheless, he was now satisfied with his season debut on the clay surface. It always takes him a little longer to adjust from the hard court to the new surface: “For me it’s always the case that I start playing well in weeks three and four. I hope it will be the same this year.”
Zverev raves about the BMW Open: “I had the most incredible emotions here”
At the BMW Open he wants to win his third title after 2017 and 2018 and rehabilitate himself for the past few years in which he was eliminated early: “I hope that I can change that and play for the title again. This is a special tournament . I’ve had the most incredible emotions here.” He hasn’t missed a tournament since his debut in 2014, “and hopefully I never will in my career.” Music to the ears of tournament director Patrik Kühnen.
BMW Open: Munich is to get a huge tennis stadium
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After a bye in round one, the number one seed will face the Austrian Juri Rodionov on Wednesday. The 24-year-old left-hander was number 87 in the world five years ago, is now ranked 118th and clearly defeated Australian Aleksandar Vukic 6:2, 6:3 in the first match. Should Zverev clear this hurdle, it would be against the winner of the Cristian Garín/Alex Michelsen game, before possibly Taylor Fritz or Jack Draper wait.
“Power couple” Zverev and Thomalla about wanting to have children: “Let’s see”
But that is a thing of the future. His future was also discussed at the Player’s Party on Monday evening in the Golden Raquet Club on the MTTC Iphitos facility. The double Sascha Zverev/Sophia Thomalla, celebrated by the tabloids as a “power couple”, was interviewed about the desire to have children. Evasive answer from both: “We’ll see.”
Zverev knows that his existence as a tennis professional is finite: “I won’t be able to live this life forever,” he says, “the older I get, the more I appreciate it. I just love being a tennis professional. “
In addition to Alexander Zverev and Sophia Thomalla, the two former Munich jungle campers Giulia Siegel and Fabio Knez also attended the Players Night. Also there: Yvonne Catterfeld, the Carpendales and Jens Lehmann. You can find the celebrity pictures in our photo gallery above.
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2024-04-16 17:07:00
#Party #night #Munich #BMW #Open #Alexander #Zverev #jungle #camp #celebrities
