ATP Finals
After the fall against Alcaraz: Zverev is not worried
Alexander Zverev in action. photo
© Antonio Calanni/AP/dpa
After the top start in the ATP finals, Alexander Zverev wants more. But the opponents aren’t getting any easier. On Wednesday it’s against an old friend.
Despite his fall in the opening match against Carlos Alcaraz, he feels Alexander Zverev ready for the next tasks at the ATP Finals.
“Luckily I didn’t twist my ankle, but slipped a little. I don’t think it’s a problem,” said Zverev after his 6:7 (3:7), 6:3, 6:4 against the Spanish Wimbledon winner Alcaraz in Turin . “It’s no comparison to Paris.”
At the French Open last year, Zverev sprained in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal and tore several ligaments in his foot. The Olympic champion then had to take a break for more than half a year.
“Still a long way to go”
This is also why the 12,000 spectators in the Pala Alpitour held their breath at the moment of the fall and initially feared that Zverev would be seriously injured again. “Many people know my history. My injury happened in Roland Garros. Not at some 250 tournament somewhere, but on one of the biggest stages in the world,” said Zverev. “Maybe that was a bit of the reason for the reaction. But I quickly gave the signal that everything was okay and I didn’t have to go home in an ambulance again.”
Zverev was very satisfied with his performance against Alcaraz. “Of course it’s a big victory. But there are no small victories here either because you only play against the best players in the world,” said the seventh in the world rankings. “I’m happy with the win, but I also know that there’s still a long way to go. It was only the first group match.”
In his second appearance on Wednesday, Zverev will face Daniil Medvedev. The world number three clearly prevailed on Monday evening in the second game of the Red Group against his Russian compatriot Andrei Rublyov 6:4, 6:2 and showed a very strong performance.