Vacation instead of finals
Zverev is rethinking – with a more offensive style to the Grand Slam coup?
Alexander Zverev’s season ends with the semi-finals at the year-end tournament in Turin. The “hard defeats” remain in his balance sheet. He approaches his goals with a new style.
The French Open is already marked in Alexander Zverev’s new calendar. At least in a figurative sense, the Paris Grand Slam tournament from May 25th to June 8th is painted red for him. After his semi-final exit at the tennis season finale and his next defeat against the American Taylor Fritz, the Hamburg native is on vacation. On Tuesday – after a short detour to a charity event in the Allgäu – he flies to the sea in the Maldives. He has clearly set his goals for 2025 and the future. He’s been running after them for a long time.
“I didn’t win a Grand Slam,” Zverev summed up his year as he said goodbye with frustration after the 3:6, 6:3, 6:7 (3:7) and the missed final in Turin. The 27-year-old shuffled to the press conference with his head bowed. “I think it’s no secret that this will be my main goal for the next six or seven years.”
Being satisfied with a semi-final, final or second place in the world rankings does not fit into Zverev’s mentality. “I will do everything to ensure that next year my level is even higher than this year,” announced the finals winner from 2018 and 2021. With a more offensive style of play, the coup should finally succeed at the four most important tennis tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York.
His chances are likely to be best, especially in Paris. He had already proven that before his ankle injury in 2022 and in his dramatic final defeat against Carlos Alcaraz last June.
The tendency to act more aggressively, to move forward, to take the initiative in the important moments, was evident in the days of Turin as in his title two weeks ago in Paris-Bercy. It seems as if the mistakes that he has been accused of for years have now led to a rethink. Roger Federer also recently criticized Zverev at the Laver Cup in Berlin for “playing far too passively, far too defensively” in crucial moments.
Zverev’s plan didn’t work against Fritz. When the chance for his third title at the ATP Finals came up in front of 13,000 spectators after the convincing preliminary round, he felt “emptier” after the “highlight” against tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. It was one of those days when everything was a little more stressful, he explained.
The 2024 French Open finalist and 2020 US Open finalist started weakly and ended incorrectly in the “below average” (Zverev) tiebreak. “I tried to play aggressively, but then the balls flew too long for me.”
Zverev on development: “It will be a process”
The development will not be a matter of one or two days or one or two weeks. “It will be a process,” said Zverev. “Hopefully in Australia, if I’m in this situation again, I can confirm the aggressive tennis in an important moment without the mistakes.” He trained his forehand, his weaker stroke compared to his backhand, in Turin with many repetitions. In his defeat against Zverev, Alcaraz felt as if both shots were the same.
In Australia the tennis year begins in December. The United Cup from December 27th with the first German game on December 29th are the first key dates for Zverev. The team competition is seen as a warm-up for the Australian Open, which starts on January 12th. Then the German number one wants to be back to 100 percent health. When asked about his lung problems in Turin, Zverev reacted angrily.
69 wins and second place as records
The bright spots of his year include the Grand Slam final in Paris, the two Masters titles in Rome and Paris-Bercy. Zverev also ended the season with 69 wins as a personal record and second in the world rankings, higher than ever before.
“I played some fantastic matches,” said Zverev. It was the first season after his serious foot injury in 2022 in which he was able to play for titles at the highest level again. “But I think what will be remembered are the tough defeats,” he admitted. “I will do everything to be in the same moments and in the same position next year. I will do everything I can to win”.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
