ATP Masters Rome: Alexander Zverev starts against David Goffin - and has been warned
Alexander Zverev 's opening opponent at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome will be David Goffin . The record against the Belgian is balanced after four meetings so far.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
May 11, 2023, 06:14 pm
Alexander Zverev will try to get used to the Italian Open 2023 with Marcelo Melo under competitive conditions today, the two will meet the German Davis Cup doubles Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz right at the start. Of course, Zverev would like to take a (first match) win with him, but more important is the individual, in which the German number one has to defend a semi-final from the previous year. If that doesn't succeed, then Jan-Lennard Struff will probably take over the internal German top position.
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That the first opponent would be called David Goffin, it really didn't look like that on Thursday for a long time. Because Goffin was behind Luca Nardi with set and break, then pulled his head out of the noose again and won 3: 6, 6: 4 and 6: 2. And can now run against Alexander Zverev. The starting position for this encounter is unclear: there have been four matches between the two so far, and the balance is balanced.
Balanced record from Zverev against Goffin
Zverev and Goffin last met in Monte Carlo in 2021. The Belgian had already had several injury breaks: once because he unluckily stepped on a tarpaulin in a match against Dominic Thiem in Roland Garros and injured his ankle. Another time when he got a ball in the eye. Zverev, on the other hand, could always count on his body until that match. He can now do that again. So far, however, there has been no great success against a top player: Roberto Bautista Agut in Monte Carlo remains the highest-ranked player who Alexander Zverev was able to beat after his comeback this season.
Zverev's experiences in the Foro Italico are basically good. Here he celebrated his first ever triumph in a 1000 in 2017, with a convincing final win against Novak Djokovic. The calculation, according to which Alexander Zverev is always in great form in places where he has already celebrated success, fails because the now 24-year-old has actually left noticeable marks everywhere in the tennis world in his wonderful career.
The next meeting with Medvedev?
The further prospects of a success against David Goffin are not so bad: Because on paper it would be against Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole is not a proven clay court expert. And then Daniil Medvedev could wait again. For the third time this season. In the previous matches in India Wells and Monte-Carlo, Zverev had good, yes, very good chances of winning against the third in the world rankings. Maybe it will work on the third try.
Here the single tableau in Rome
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