Alexander Zverev’s woos continue with latest loss on clay
Alexander Zverev’s latest early round exit at Barcelona seems to be evidence of a current slump, with the German losing to Nicolas Jarry, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5).
Zverev won the ATP Finals last year, another impressive crown in his amazing rise in tennis at such a young age. The ATP title was the pinnacle of the 22-year-old’s tennis career so far, capping off a year that saw the German talent collect his third Masters 1000 title in Madrid.
The world No. 3 has been a much-talked about tennis sensation since he was a teenager. The wunderkid seemed to fulfill that promise with two breakthrough Masters 1000 wins in 2017 over legends: first Novak Djokovic in Rome, and then Roger Federer at the Canada Open later that year. The tennis star has been on the horizon of the sport for a few years now, with tennis pundits predicted a win at the slams to be his next breakthrough.
The grand slams have proven insurmountable for the phenomenon, so far, with a quarterfinal appearance at last year’s French Open his best performance. Fitness has been an issue for the German, with five setters taking their toll at the grand slam tournaments. But Zverev has attempted to answer this question by focusing on bulking up and adding Andy Murray’s former fitness coach to his team. Grand slam success still eludes the No. 3, with a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open this year his latest disappointing loss at a major.
Equally comfortable on hard courts as he is on clay, his recent decline during clay court season has been baffling. Alexander Zverev’s first Masters 1000 title came on clay, in Rome, and a testament to his mastery of surfaces, he followed this up with a hard-court Masters title in Canada. His second match loss to Fabio Fognini in Monte Carlo a week ago was not only a surprise, but a big one considering the ease with which the Italian beat him in the second set, 7-6(6), 6-1.
His first match loss to Jarry after sitting at 3-0 in the third set tie break seems to be a confidence issue, with Sascha admitting to his current slump in a press conference afterwards.
"I just played bad. It's not a secret. I'm in a hole," Zverev explained in Barcelona. "The tennis was very low-level. Most of the points I won were unforced errors by him. I couldn't hit aggressive shots, I'm hitting double faults."
The admission is surprising going into the French Open, his most successful grand slam so far. Things don’t look promising, but the German is also taking the string of losses in stride at the moment, despite acknowledging a loss of assurance.
"I'm experiencing defeats, especially on clay, that I haven't experienced for a few years," Zverev said. "But if you ask Rafa or Roger, they will tell you they've gone through the same thing, it's normal."
Zverev hasn’t won a title all year, not unlike Rafael Nadal. Also, like him, he made one final, losing to Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in Acapulco. However, it’s the streak of early exits that is the most disturbing. The addition of Ivan Lendl to his coaching team was supposed to help transition his ATP success to the next level. Lendl did wonders for Andy Murray’s conviction, who collected his first grand slam title while working with him after several finals losses.
Alexander Zverev won four titles last year, including the next tournament he plays in, the Madrid Masters, where he will look to defend his title.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2W7xDlj
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