He became the biggest threat to the French tennis team in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.
This Tuesday, Zizou Bergs will lead Belgium to the last 8 of the country event played in Bologna (Italy). 43rd in the world, the Lommel native hopes to shake up the hierarchy and unsettle Arthur Rinderknech (29), the new leader of the Blues, thanks to his offensive and volcanic style that has greatly pleased the public.
And if the name doesn’t give it away, Zizou Bergs has nothing to do with France. Of course, his first name is the nickname of one of France’s biggest stars, Zinedine Zidane, but it does not have the same origins. However, it is truly a tribute, as he expressed at the Roland-Garros 2024 press conference.
“This is thanks to the great Zinedine Zidane,” he emphasized with a big smile. My mother thought she would give birth to a girl, but it turned out to be a boy. My dad plays football and on the team, everyone has a nickname and my dad is Zizou. And he got the great idea to call me Zizou. »
“I could be the most famous Belgian in France”
More than 26 years later, the Belgian has no regrets about this rather original first name. Even though he sometimes received teasing from his peers as a child. “When I was little, it was a bit ordinary because you had a special name and at school, once you became a bit special, they said: yes Zizou, your name, all that. They’re kind of mean. »
But for his career, this first name is good news. Because if he is Belgian, Zizou Bergs has quite a lot of sympathy in France. “In France, it’s amazing,” smiled the final Masters 1000 quarter-finalist in Shanghai. As soon as I arrived in France looking for a challenger or whatever, people were already nicer to me just because of my first name, which was nice. »
And this is even worse in Marseille. “Even when I faced French players, it was often 50-50. At the tournament in Marseille, Zinedine Zidane’s hometown, I was very surprised. Zizou anywhere, it’s phenomenal, he told L’Équipe in 2022. I knew that if I performed well in tennis, I could become the most famous Belgian player in France. »
He also hopes that his talent and victory will once again reach the ears of the former number 10 player on the French team. “If I found out that Zinedine Zidane knew about my existence, it would drive me crazy,” he laughed to SudPresse in 2021. I became one of his biggest fans, due to circumstances! »
