Zverev boom in autumn revives World Cup hopes
Despite his clear final defeat at the Masters tournament in Shanghai, Alexander Zverev can draw a positive conclusion from his trip to Asia.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit:
Oct 13, 2019, 06:55 pm
Alexander Zverev kept staring up into the ranks of the Qi Zhong Stadium in Shanghai on this final Sunday. And sometimes, after one of the many lost rallies, it looked as if the young German was looking for his serve in the stands. Or at least according to the strengths that had rightly brought him close to the cup triumph in the tournament week.
After all, it was not at all Zverev's day, this endgame day on which he slept through the start, only got two of the first twelve points, lost the first set with two double errors and then only the best place at 6: 4, 6: 1 -Triumphal move of his opponent Daniil Medvedev. "It is incredible how you are playing at the moment. You are the best player at the moment, ”said Zverev afterwards about the Russian, who is actually the defining figure of this second half of tennis in 2019. And the one who is currently most likely to be trusted is to break through the power phananx of the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer) in the traveling circus.
Medvedev: "People want something new, I'll give it to them"
These days, Medvedev is playing the role that the professional world actually thought Zverev had after his World Cup triumph in London last November. Namely the role of the crown prince, the man who can startle and severely press the establishment - and not just in flashy snapshots, but with a certain regularity, with consistency at the highest level. “People want something new. I give it to them, ”said Medvedev after his Shanghai victory, the second Masters success in a row.
In the annual ranking, the 23-year-old has already displaced Federer to fourth place, only Djokovic and Nadal are in front of Medvedev. However, almost even more than Medvedev's previous tournament victories had impressed his guest appearance at the US Open - there it initially looked as if the Muscovite would give his farewell as a scandal noodle in dishonor. Before everything turned out differently, with Medvedev as a clandestine audience favorite, who also stood up to Nadal in a fascinating finale of five movements. Last but not least, he felt like the second winner.
Zverev on the upswing thanks to the Laver Cup
Whereby: Zverev also recently had a turn of his tennis year. Not as impressive and persistent as Medvedev, the generation mate. But to an extent that allows him not to look at 2019 with anger and bitterness and to gain new confidence. Since the Laver Cup exhibition fight in September, Zverev has regained ground.
At that time he won, with intensive coaching from the ancients Nadal and Federer, the decisive final match of Europe against the rest of the world comparison. And even if there were no ranking points and official recognition, the sense of achievement was obviously good for him. At the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing he reached the semi-final two weeks ago, now, in Shanghai, at the Masters the final. He hardly ever played much better in this challenging season.
Participation in the ATP Finals now realistic
Even though Medvedev relentlessly showed him the limits of what is currently possible, Zverev was able to draw a reasonable conclusion from his Asian tour. Above all because he can now again have legitimate hopes of defending his World Cup title in London. Get involved in the season finale of the best eight. Especially in the two weeks from October 21, it will be decided who will take the last two places in the ATP Finals - Zverev is suddenly in pole position with his 2855 points, ahead of the Italian Matteo Berrettini (2545) Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (2485) and Belgian David Goffin (2325).
If Zverev makes the leap into the advanced tournament rounds at the starts in Basel (ATP 500) and Paris (Masters), a lot would have to happen to displace him. "We will still have many good days, including tournament victories," Zverev called out to his team on the Center Court in Shanghai.
However, Zverev has not yet completely lost its instability from the first months of the season - the two games of the final weekend in Shanghai clearly demonstrated this. Against the Italian Berrettini in the semifinals, Zverev impressed with premium values that made him appear unassailable. 80 percent of his first serves landed, he also hit eleven aces and only one double mistake. He only won four out of eight service games against Medvedev, made double faults at critical moments and was therefore generally not sure of his cause. It was a day when the serve was more an enemy than a friend of the German.