Alexander Zverev forgets Roger Federer

Alexander Zverev made an important change to his season by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics a few days ago. Sascha's tournament seemed to be on its way to its conclusion in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, a great favorite for the final victory, who had advanced one set and one break. Taking advantage of the psycho-physical decline of the number 1 in the world, the German became more aggressive and took home ten of the last eleven games of the match. The 2018 ATP Finals champion didn't fail the litmus test against Karen Khachanov, dominating the final far and wide before enjoying the thrills of a historic triumph for his nation. The hope is that Zverev will be able to offer the same performance also in the Slams, where he has often failed in the decisive moments. His next goal will be the US Open, a Major in which he pushed himself to the last act last year. When questioned at a press conference on the general level of the Olympic tournament, Alexander cited Rafael Nadal's as the only notable absence (forgetting Roger Federer instead).

Zverev won the gold medal in Tokyo

“The best players have all come. The only one who hasn't come is the one who hasn't been to Wimbledon before, Rafael Nadal. Everyone else was there, everyone else played. It was one of the toughest tournaments of the season. Some players didn't come, but a lot of players miss a lot of tournaments. The best were all there" - Alexander Zverev stated. Much of the vitriol spewed against Novak Djokovic is beyond any argument or reason. But what can be argued against is the notion that failing to win an Olympic gold medal somehow carves a dent in Djokovic's claim to being the greatest tennis player of all time or 'GOAT'. Sure, the Olympic gold could well remain an unwritten page in Novak Djokovic's biography by the time he calls it quits. But literally every legendary athlete has that one achievement in their career that they are forced to hang up their boots without. For instance, Usain Bolt wouldn't have been THE Usain Bolt without his astonishing Olympic records. And Michael Phelps wouldn't have been the point of reference in American sport without his legendary Olympic feats. But Roger Federer is still the majestic Roger Federer, even without a singles Olympic gold to his name. And Pete Sampras was considered the greatest tennis player of all time for a good 10 years despite never having won a medal of any color.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3lDVQPM