ATP finals in tennis“Normality”: Zverev wants to continue shining after his early wins
Alexander Zverev screamed his joy at his opening win at the ATP Finals.
Antonio Calanni/AP/dpa
With a strong opener in Turin, Alexander Zverev has put many doubts to rest for now. One expert saw it almost in title form. Zverev gets new energy from his animal companion.
After a near-perfect start to the final highlight of the ATP season, Alexander Zverev showed incredible joy – literally. The tennis star posted a video on Instagram of her dachshund Mischka, who ran into her owner’s arms wagging her tail in the catacombs of the Inalpi Arena and was allowed to lick his face. Journalists had to wait about an hour and a half before Zverev commented on his impressive victory in the opening ATP Finals against American Ben Shelton with a score of 6:3, 7:6 (8:6).
“Naughty boy,” a media representative told Zverev with a smile before the question-and-answer session began shortly before midnight. The world number three reacted very calmly to the little joke – but he also received praise for his successful start to the prestigious tournament in Turin in stride. “I know everyone finds it very, very strange that I can win against good players at the moment. But for me, I still want to see it as normal and not make it more than it is,” said the 28-year-old.
Former professional Kohlschreiber was enthusiastic
Before the tournament began, his particular physical problems raised doubts about whether Zverev had a chance of reaching the semifinals, final or even his third title after 2018 and 2021 in a battle of the best players of the year. In the duel against Shelton, the 2021 Olympic champion appeared fit, fresh and with high concentration.
“It was Sascha Zverev at his best,” ex-player Philipp Kohlschreiber enthused on Sky. Zverev also “put an exclamation mark” on the speeches of two extraordinary talents Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, said Kohlschreiber: “With a performance like that in the first set: semi-final minimum!”
A primal scream after winning a match point
At least the statistics in the game against Shelton are not against him. Zverev wins 84 percent of points when his first serve enters the court – an incredible mark. And he didn’t falter on his second serve either (70 percent). That’s why Zverev didn’t need to waste a single break chance against him.
The Hamburger made few mistakes from the baseline, and in the second set tiebreak he managed to come back from 4-0 down and fend off three set points. He expressed his joy at the strong performance with a huge shout of joy. “I think I played a fantastic match and you can be happy about that,” Zverev said.
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Now against Sinner and Auger-Aliassime
He has now had time to regenerate and is looking for “the next game, which will also be difficult”. Germany’s other group opponents are Italian tennis player Sinner and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. The best two from two groups of four advance to the semi-finals. Most importantly, the duel with Sinner, whom he recently suffered with a score of 0:6, 1:6 in the semifinals in Paris due to an ankle injury, will show the way.
“Sinner is currently the best player on this surface, no doubt. That’s why I expect a very difficult match,” said the German No. 1. If he is in top condition, he also has a chance against the world number one. After a successful start, Kohlschreiber increasingly believed in Zverev’s possibilities: “Sascha is full of confidence.”
And he has a new partner on his team. This is not a new coach, as some pundits such as tennis icon Boris Becker have called for. But Mischka the dachshund seems to at least give Zverev some positive energy. “I really fell in love with him,” he told “Bild”. He gave the dog to his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, whose dog died this year. “I bought him Mishka for his birthday and now he is part of the family.” He has also accompanied Zverev on a three-week tennis tour.
