French Open: Zverev stoically leaves the New York trauma behind, also with the help of coach Ferrer
Alexander Zverev was not only able to convince on the pitch during his first appearance at the French Open, the collaboration with David Ferrer also looked surprisingly harmonious.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit:
Sep 28, 2020, 11:16 am
Even behind the mask you could guess how satisfied David Ferrer was with this evening. And with his husband, with Alexander Zverev. It was Ferrer's first public appearance as coach of Zverev, it was Zverev's first clay court match in this crazy, highly complicated season - but in the 7: 5, 6: 2, 6: 4 first round win of the 23-year-old from Hamburg against Dennis Novak (Austria) on On Sunday evening at the French Open, Zverev and his Spanish supercoach (38) looked like a long-established, perfectly harmonious and highly effective duo. "It's just a great pleasure to work with David," said Zverev later, "we understand each other almost blindly." As if this alliance didn't just exist since the summer. But for many years.
Icy winds swept over Paris' Red Square, rain lashed the night. It was a weather in which no one would have voluntarily gone outside, more wintry than autumn. But Zverev, the unfortunate US Open final winner, stood on this lousy cool start day with an imperturbability, defiance and composure on the soggy main court, as if he didn't even notice the elements. However, it was exactly the mentality that had always distinguished his new trainer and former French Open finalist Ferrer in his not-so-long past professional years: namely, on, over and over. "I'm glad that tennis is being played again at all," said Zverev later laconically about this evening, but also about the whole thing in the tennis world. Dealing with disturbing things that he can't change anyway is no longer his thing.
Becker: "Positively surprised"
The fact that he was just as stoic and unimpressed in Paris as he was in his victorious run into the New York Grand Slam final was a bit of a surprise. Because in the Roland Garros refrigerator, Zverev not only had to hide the grim weather on the first day of the game, but also had to cope with the trauma of his failure in the final against his Austrian friend Dominic Thiem. How he ultimately succeeded, DTB boss Boris Becker demanded a lot of respect: "That was not a matter of course after the sleepless nights he must have had after the US Open." He was "absolutely positively surprised" by Zverev, said Becker, "He did what you have to do: accept the conditions, concentrate on what is necessary for success."
Which was by no means taken for granted in Zverev's career. But this year it has become more and more of its trademark. Just as he marched through the tournament in New York unswerving of all ups and downs, demonstrating his willpower over and over again in adverse situations, he now also began the Paris challenge with a previously barely seen mental stability. And this stability also contributes to the new efficiency of Zverev: Despite a 2: 5 deficit in the first set against the by no means easy opponent Novak, the Hamburger marched in three straight sets to the opening success. In the past, in the final stages of the top tournaments, he simply “no longer had the strength” to play an important role, said Zverev, “I absolutely had to and wanted to change that.” In the first few days of a major competition, you shouldn't “ Waste energies. "
US Open checked - focus on French Open
After the failure in New York, Zverev had simply laid himself in the sun at home in Monte Carlo and not compulsively suppressed the Schmnerz, but accepted: "It's not nice when you're the first player in 70 years to score 2-0 - You forgot the set lead in such a final. ”Then, after a few days of grieving and lazing around , with Ferrer's arrival in the Principality there was renewed vigor - and the aggressiveness returned.
The newly cooperating partners set out on the Roland Garros mission, and thus also to confirm a trend from this 2020 season. Because Zverev is also very hands-on in the current game year to overcome his Grand Slam weakness, the stumbling on the big ones Stages. In Melbourne, in January, he advanced to the semi-finals at the Audtralian Open, in New York he reached the final - and now he is planning another run “well into the second week”, according to Zverev, “preferably the final. "Is it also about denying the criticism of experts and the media, was Zverev asked? No, he said, the most important thing is to focus on yourself. And to prove to yourself “that you belong right at the front.” One of the natural candidates for a Grand Slam title.
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