Shortly before the French Open in Paris, Alexander Zverev is reaching for his first tournament victory of the year. In Rome he will play his eleventh Masters final against Nicolas Jarry from Chile.
An ace, a scream, a German record: reaching the final in Rome, his eleventh at a Masters, came at the right time for Alexander Zverev. A week before the start of the French Open, the Olympic champion will play for a major title on Sunday (1.30 p.m./Sky) at the Foro Italico – and the necessary self-confidence for Paris.
Zverev will face Chilean Nicolas Jarry in a final that, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, no one “expected”. Zverev’s clay court season has been too bumpy so far: round of 16 in Monte Carlo, quarter-finals in Munich, round of 16 in Madrid. And Jarry was hit even harder: he failed three times at the start.
Balanced balance on sand
Nevertheless: Zverev (27) and Jarry (28) have proven several times that they can both do it on sand – including against each other. They have faced each other four times on the ashes, the score is 2-2, the last duel so far went to Jarry in the semi-finals in Geneva last year.
But Zverev trusts his form. “If I play my game, I know that I have a good chance,” he said on Sky after his semi-final victory over Jarry’s compatriot Alejandro Tabilo. The experience speaks clearly for him: For Jarry, the Masters final is a first, for Zverev it is a small chapter in tennis history.
No other German has appeared more often in a final of the nine top-class tournaments in the 1000 series. Not even Boris Becker. Zverev set his record with the victory over Tabilo and brought back memories of the promising start to his career.
Zverev wants to crown preparation
Seven years ago, when Zverev had just turned 20, he celebrated his first Masters victory in Rome with a final victory over Novak Djokovic. A year later he forced clay court king Rafael Nadal into the third set in the final. The tennis world seemed to be open to him and the Grand Slam title was only a matter of time.
And today? Zverev is still chasing the big triumph in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York, he still firmly believes in it. The serious ankle injury in Paris two years ago or the low point in the first half of the 2024 clay court season didn’t change that. He thinks he has the best chances on the dusty courts at Roland Garros.
“I’m happy that I’m slowly finding my rhythm and form before Paris,” Zverev said before the semi-finals. A success over Jarry, it would be his sixth at a Masters (Becker: 5) and his 22nd tournament victory overall (Becker: 49) would be the crowning achievement of the preparation. This would also see Zverev climb the world rankings: fourth place and the role of co-favorite in Paris awaits.
2024-05-18 10:35:00
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