He is the biggest threat to the French tennis team in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. This Tuesday, Zizou Bergs will lead Belgium to the Final 8 of the country event played in Bologna (Italy). 43rd in the world, the native of Lommel hopes to shake up the hierarchy and shake Arthur Rinderknech (29th), new leader of the Blues, thanks to his offensive and volcanic style which greatly pleases the public.
And if his name does not indicate it, Zizou Bergs has no connection with France. Certainly, his first name is the nickname of one of France’s biggest stars, Zinedine Zidane, but he does not share any origin with him. However, it is indeed a tribute, as he confided in a press conference during Roland-Garros 2024.
“It’s thanks to the great Zinedine Zidane,” he confirmed with a big smile. My mother thought she was having a girl but I was born a boy. My father played football and on the team, everyone had a nickname and my father was Zizou. And he came up with the great idea of calling me Zizou. »
“In Marseille, Zizou was screaming everywhere”
More than 26 years later, the Belgian does not regret this rather original first name. Even if he sometimes suffered the mockery of his comrades during his childhood. “When I was little, it was a bit average because you have a special name and at school, as soon as you are a bit special, they say: yeah Zizou, your name, all that. They’re a bit mean. »
For his career, however, this first name is good news. Because if he is Belgian, Zizou Bergs benefits from a significant level of sympathy in France. “In France, it’s great,” smiles the quarter-finalist at the last Masters 1000 in Shanghai. As soon as I arrive in France for a challenger or anything, people are already nicer to me just for my first name, and that’s great. »
And this is even more the case in Marseille. “Even when I face a Frenchman, it’s often 50-50. At the tournament in Marseille, the hometown of Zinedine Zidane, it was screaming Zizou everywhere, it was phenomenal, he told L’Équipe in 2022. I know that if I perform well in tennis, I can become the best-known Belgian in France. »
He also hopes that his talent and his victories will come back to the ears of the former number 10 of the France team. “If I learned that Zinedine Zidane knew that I existed, it would drive me crazy,” he laughed to SudPresse in 2021. I became one of his big fans, by force of circumstances! »
