Alexander Zverev hides Novak Djokovic's doubts about fitness
Alexander Zverev has to climb Mount Everest in tennis on Tuesday: Defeating Novak Djokovic in Melbourne is an absolute maximum difficulty. But the world number one from Serbia looks battered.
by SID
last edit:
Feb 15, 2021, 01:34 pm
Alexander Zverev resolutely removed the riddle about Novak Djokovic's stomach from his thoughts. In preparation for the quarter-final blast in Melbourne, it didn't matter at all for the German top star how fit the record winner and defending champion from Serbia really is. Zverev trained highly concentrated with his brother Mischa, then relaxed in the evenings over dinner and a few FIFA matches on the PlayStation.
"Novak is a champion and can get out of any situation," said Mischa Zverev on Eurosport before the match on Tuesday (around 11 am live on Eurosport and Servus TV). He will not leave his brother's side during the entire Australian Open, is an important contact and training partner and helps to develop the tactics: "We must not concern ourselves with whether he is injured or not. We have to expect that he will play with 100 percent. "
Djokovic and his muscle injury
Djokovic's abdominal muscle injury, the 33-year-old world number one did not specify it, has been making the headlines around the Grand Slam tournament for days. And there are definitely question marks among the competition and a number of experts as to how severe the injury to the 17-time major winner really is. At least he could go with
Milos Raonic from Canada defeated 14th in the world rankings in four sets in the round of 16.
"To win against Raonic on such a surface, you have to be in top shape," said Zverev, who is still chasing his first Grand Slam title, after his three-set win against Djokovic's compatriot Dusan Lajovic. Grand Slam record winner Rafael Nadal had a "strange feeling as a spectator" of Djokovic's match. In recent years, his colleagues had repeatedly questioned his possible injuries.
# IMG2 #
Painkillers at Djokovic
The Serb himself reported that he only survived the exertion with the help of a "high dose" of painkillers. "I'm really not sure how far I'll get in the tournament with this injury," added Djokovic. It is to a certain extent a gamble with health: "There may be three more matches to play and it will be more and more difficult for me on the pitch."
The fact that his injury is being questioned and that, from his perspective, he is less likely than other stars to be celebrated for his great will, led Djokovic once more to media criticism. The controversial industry giant, which is always offensive with its opinions and actions, sees itself generally belittled and not appreciated enough in comparison with Nadal and Roger Federer (Switzerland / both 20 Grand Slam titles).
Djokovic and the media: "It hurts"
"I can't say that it doesn't get me sometimes - of course an injustice or an unfair representation in the media touches me," said Djokovic now. His statements sounded a bit like a cry for love: "Of course it hurts when you are criticized for no reason and treated differently. But in a way, that's the way
I chose. "
It didn't stop him from becoming one of the most successful tennis players in history. Zverev, who recently lost just a little to Djokovic in the ATP Cup, is facing a major difficulty on Tuesday.
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