'I always looked up to Roger Federer', says German star

Alexander Zverev, who is currently going through one of the most prosperous periods of his career with two consecutive titles won in Cologne, will become a father. The news came from an interview reported by the German newspaper Bild to his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea. The 27-year-old German of Romanian origin has in fact announced her pregnancy in its twentieth week, before adding that at the moment she is not in contact with tennis player n. 7 of the world and doesn't seem interested in sharing custody with him. The relationship between Sascha and Brenda, made official in November 2019, ended this year between spring and early summer.

Alexander Zverev on having Federer as an idol

It is a known fact that Zverev loves to indulge in other sports when not occupied with tennis. He feels role models might be the wrong term to use, but he certainly has people that he has looked up to for inspiration while growing up. "Role models may be the wrong word, as I’ve always tried to go my own way. But as a child, I always looked up to Roger Federer. He was my idol and embodied everything I wanted to be,” Alexander Zverev said. This doesn’t come as a surprise since the German is a Federer fan. In May, Federer landed the top spot on the annual Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes for the first time with $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings. The Swiss ace was the first tennis player to take the No. 1 rank since the list debuted in 1990. Serena Williams, who also recently turned 39, is also confirmed for the Australian Open. Williams is stuck on 23 Grand Slam titles and is still seeking No. 24 to tie Margaret Court’s all-time record. After losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to Victoria Azarenka, Williams withdrew ahead of her second-round match at the French Open with an Achilles injury. Federer, meantime, hasn’t played a major in a year. The 20-time Grand Slam champion then beat rival Rafael Nadal in a charity match in South Africa in February. In June, he announced he would be out of action for the rest of the 2020 season due to a knee injury. In his absence, Nadal tied him with 20 Grand Slam titles by winning his 13th French Open earlier this month, earning plaudits from Federer and Rod Laver among others.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2HNAtdp