Alexander Zverev wasn’t satisfied at all, he seemed downright desperate – like someone who is urgently looking for something, but simply can’t find it and is therefore becoming more and more impatient. “No!” he roared first, then “eeeh”, and finally the long drawn out “Aaaargh” from someone who now finally wants to find and no longer search; which echoed even louder in the empty arena. It was just a training game, against the Dane Holger Rune, two days before the start of the Australian Open – you can still tinker with the effort to place your two-handed backhand perfectly. And yet you can see what happened there as a micro-example of what Zverev is currently experiencing in the big picture.
The German is currently number two in the world rankings, behind defending champion Jannik Sinner. As such, you can only have one goal at a Grand Slam: “I want to win the tournament.” Anything other than triumph would be a disappointment, of course that is the benchmark laid: It takes the best possible tennis.
:Clown under
The Serb appears at Alexander Zverev’s press conference and asks the German tennis professional about space – and his missing Grand Slam title. In a magazine, Djokovic once again makes serious allegations regarding his deportation in 2022.
What happened in training after every backhand that didn’t land exactly where Zverev wanted it: a brief anger, then a look at the two people in the corners of the field behind him. Father Alexander senior suggested that the child should position himself a little more openly, then he advised more topspin. Brother Mischa recommended that after an imperfect hit – it was really a matter of centimeters – not to get any more upset, but to relax. The advice in less than ten minutes: adjusting your footwork, adjusting your hitting technique, working on your mental attitude after mistakes.
According to Boris Becker, Zverev is just a tiny bit away from a big victory – but where can you find it?
“That one percent is missing,” said veteran Boris Becker recently about Zverev’s hunt for the triumph that is still missing for him: a victory in one of the four most important tournaments in the world. One percent, a tiny thing. The only question is: Where exactly can you find this percent?
Given the current situation, some of the more or less serious advice that Zverev has received in the past few months. From partner Sophia Thomalla, who in Melbourne is there, a reference to the mental after the wasted semi-final in 2023: “Two-set lead against Medvedev; You would have better won that.” About himself after losing the French Open final against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz: “I have to get fitter.” Almost at the same time, his former coach and current Alcaraz coach Juan Carlos Ferrero said: His life at the The young Spaniard’s side is completely different, “no more private jets and luxury hotels like with Zverev”. Aha – so is it about humility? Becker now advised Zverev to be a “super coach” alongside his father and brother; and Novak Djokovic asked, brightening up Zverev’s press conference on Friday with an impromptu appearance: “Do you think the answer to winning a Grand Slam title lies in space?”
It could also drive you crazy if everyone thinks they know exactly which piece of the puzzle is missing and keeps saying so. And when you know that this sensory overload can only be stopped in one way: with a win.
At the US Open 2021, Alexander Zverev said about himself and others of his generation, in contrast to serial winners like Djokovic: “I don’t think any of us will win 20 Grand Slam titles. It may be that we will divide them between us.” Three and a half years and zero such titles later, the question is now less: When the now 27-year-old Zverev will win Grand Slam tournaments, and no more how many. The question now is rather: whether at all. At the end of the decade, Zverev was at the very top of the line of succession in men’s tennis; Since then, not only the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who is almost the same age, has won a major title, but also representatives of the following squad: Alcaraz, Sinner. And the next-next-next gen is already knocking on the door: for example João Fonseca, 18, from Brazil and Jakub Mensik, 19, from the Czech Republic.
So another piece of advice, again from Becker: “It should happen in the next 18 months, otherwise it will be much more difficult.”
You can’t really blame Zverev for not doing everything he can to achieve the triumph he longs for – although he has apparently not yet booked a flight in a Jeff Bezos capsule to actually look in space, as Djokovic suggested. In the fall he changed his racket (“The balls these days are so slow that you need more power and less control”). During the winter break he only allowed himself two days off and also brought fitness guru Jez Green back into his team. And he’s obviously working on his positioning on the court, letting himself fall far behind the baseline less often and taking the initiative earlier in rallies.
What he doesn’t want to do: Add another person to his team or give his father a break. Although this is one of the most frequently mentioned pieces of advice and, as Zverev admitted before the start of the tournament, the senior apparently also thinks about it: “He is sometimes like this: ‘I don’t want to travel to tournaments or be part of every single session anymore,'” said Zverev about his father. Only: “I have had many other trainers; I still think he’s the best I’ve ever had.” Father and brother are his coaches, finished: “That’s how I see them: as coaches, and that’s why it works so well, that’s why it’s such a healthy relationship: We can separate private life and tennis.”
The 6:4, 6:4, 6:4 against Lucas Pouille was not a real endurance test
So he tinkers and searches; in an environment that he considers ideal. For him, that one percent lies somewhere else. And where? In any case, the first round game against Frenchman Lucas Pouille on Sunday was not a real endurance test. The 6:4, 6:4, 6:4 victory was so relaxed that Zverev actually returned to the Rod Laver Arena later for a midnight session. “No”, “Eeeh” and “Aaaargh” could be heard again and tips from the father after every rally. Look for perfection, which is what it will take against possible semi-final opponents like Djokovic or Alcaraz.
Everything was relaxed at first, so Zverev was then able to joke about his coaching duo, who for the first time at this Australian Open were no longer allowed to sit in the stands, but right next to the field. “I don’t like this,” said Zverev, “but what should I have done? Leave you at home with your suitcases packed? Then I wouldn’t have gotten any more food from mom.” And if the triumph doesn’t work out again in the end, Zverev will still have to search in space.
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