United Cup: Alexander Zverev loses matches and patience
Alexander Zverev just doesn't get going. At the United Cup he also lost his second singles after his tournament comeback.
by SID
last edit:
Jan 02, 2023, 04:07 pm
Taylor Fritz has a break ball. Alexander Zverev's first serve ends up wide, the second is served by Germany's best tennis player at a modest 112 km/h into the net. A few minutes later the same picture. Breakball Fritz, Zverev's first serve out, he serves the second at no less modest 128 km/h - into the net.
Just 21 minutes into the game between Germany and the USA at the United Cup in Sydney, Taylor Fritz closed the first set 6-1. After a total of 64 minutes, Zverev was beaten, the result was 1: 6, 4: 6, and the fact that he even won these five games is more due to some of his opponent's unforced errors than to his own finesse.
Melbourne is getting closer
Taylor Fritz, currently number nine in the world three places ahead of Zverev, found it difficult to classify his own performance: "Sascha comes from a long break, he's a bit rusty and gave me a lot of free points." But he is sure that it won't take too long "until he finds his form again".
Now, however, time is a bit pressing. In two weeks, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in Melbourne will be on the calendar, until then Zverev may have more to do than he can handle. It would be "unrealistic and a bit stupid" to talk or even dream of big victories or even the title in Melbourne, he said after his opening defeat in Sydney against the Czech Jiri Lehecka.
The match against Fritz showed that the current situation is eating away at his nerves. Another mistake, another ball in the net, another first serve next to the line, wrong to the ball again, too slow again - Zverev shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, looked helplessly around. He had already lost the first five games against Fritz when he finally managed to make it 5-1 - not a benchmark for someone like him.
Zverev wants to return to his old strength
It is questionable whether he will ever be able to regain the form with which he had his sights set on number one in the world rankings in the summer. Until that June 3rd in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal in Paris, Alexander Zverev was in the form of his life. He gave the king of the red ash a fierce fight at eye level - and then Zverev's tennis year ended abruptly after a long lunge. Triple ligament tear in the right ankle, Zverev left the pitch in a wheelchair.
To which he has not yet returned in the outstanding form of that time. A failed attempt in September, which he had to abandon due to bone edema, a few show tournaments, a worthless win against Novak Djokovic in Doha and now the defeats against Lehecka and Fritz in Sydney. "I want to be the player I used to be again," he said before the start of the United Cup. Alexander Zverev will need a lot of patience.