Last Updated on November 5, 2021
Alexander Zverev‘s comeback after the long interruption of the tour is imminent. A great challenge awaits the 23-year-old right at the beginning with former world number one Andy Murray.
There are probably much more pleasant tasks at the beginning of a Masters 1000 tournament than a match against Andy Murray. Especially if the match is preceded by an almost six-month tour break. No, the lottery fairy didn’t really mean well with Alexander Zverev at the Cincinnati event – and yet the German can hardly wait to play an official match again.
“You don’t get the emotions and feelings you experience on a tennis court anywhere else,”
Zverev explained before the tournament started. He is looking forward to the re-start and hopes for similarly strong performances as at the Australian Open:
“We will see how everything goes now with the comeback. But I hope that I can continue my form from the beginning of the year and maybe even get better”.
After reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne, Zverev was still in Acapulco, where he lost to the US American Tommy Paul in the second round. Apparently there were again problems with his serve in Mexico – but these should now be solved. “It’s all about the serve and the backhand at the moment. I’m trying to get those things back. Of course I’m also trying to improve other things. For example, aggressive tennis and net play,” the number seven in the world ranking list had already explained in April.
His new coach David Ferrer, with whom Zverev says he could not be more satisfied, is said to have helped him in this. In the USA, however, the Spaniard, like Zverev’s father, is not in the team due to the strict Corona regulations – instead, the 23-year-old is coached by fitness trainer Jez Green and physiotherapist Hugo Gravil.
For Zverev, however, the special circumstances do not pose a major problem: “I think they have done a fantastic job in terms of accommodation and making the players feel comfortable under the circumstances.
Feeling good – this also applies to the relationship between Andy Murray and Flushing Meadows. The Scot won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open eight years ago, and this year the former world number one seems to have settled in well in the New York district of Queens.
In the first round, Murray, who won the only duel against Zverev at the 2016 Australian Open, beat Frances Tiafoe in three sets. Afterward, the three-time Major Champion was full of anticipation for the upcoming match:
“He has been at the top of the world rankings for several years now. This will certainly be a good test for me”.
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