tennis
Zverev sees himself on the right track – happy about Becker’s tips
Strong performance: There is no way around Alexander Zverev in Trier. photo
© Harald Tittel/dpa
Alexander Zverev is on the up. After the difficult start in Australia, the Olympic champion is convincing at the start of the Davis Cup.
After his strongest performance so far this year, Alexander Zverev was very satisfied with his development.
“Before Australia I wasn’t able to train freely. After Australia I trained fully again. It will be a process, but I’m glad I’m at the point where I am,” said the tennis Olympic champion after his convincing 6th place : 4, 6: 1 against veteran Stan Wawrinka in Trier.
With his success, Zverev made the important 1-1 draw against Switzerland in the qualifying game after Oscar Otte had previously lost to Swiss number one Marc-Andrea Hüsler in three sets. The decision on entering the group phase will now be made on Saturday, when doubles is on the program from 1 p.m. Then Zverev plays against Hüsler before Otte and Wawrinka face each other. However, changes are still possible.
Zverev is fitter and more stable
There is no way around Zverev after his strong performance. The native of Hamburg presented himself significantly fitter than when he lost the second round at the Australian Open and had more solid basic strokes against Wawrinka. “Mentally, it’s very important that I notice that things are progressing. That feels good,” said Zverev. “It’s not like I’m going to win a Grand Slam tomorrow. My goal is to play my best tennis again for the clay court season.”
On the way there, Zverev also received a few tips from Boris Becker in Trier. The German tennis legend followed the games in Trier from the German bank and was also on the court before and after the games with the pros. “We invited him as a friend of the team and we were happy that he accepted the invitation. He’s still part of the team,” said team manager Michael Kohlmann.
Zverev was also happy about Becker’s presence. “It’s always nice to see him. We both – in very different ways – had a difficult time last year.”
At the end of April, Becker was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a court in London because he had not properly declared parts of his assets in his bankruptcy proceedings. He was released in mid-December after 231 days behind bars.