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Alexander Zverev przygotowuje się do rozpoczęcia rywalizacji w US Open Series. Niemiecki tenisista trenuje na Florydzie, gdzie ćwiczył m.in. pod okiem Ivana Lendla.

Zamieszczone w mediach społecznościowych wspólne zdjęcie Alexandra Zvereva i Ivana Lendla wywołało falę spekulacji odnośnie ewentualnej współpracy obu panów. Wzorem innych czołowych tenisistów Niemiec chciałby mieć w sztabie osobę, która mogłaby mu służyć doświadczeniem. Szczególnie tym, które wcześniej zaprowadziło takiego konsultanta do wielkoszlemowej chwały.
Od kilku miesięcy toczy się dyskusja, kto mógłby pomóc zawodnikowi z Hamburga. Sam Zverev byłby najchętniej zainteresowany współpracą z Borisem Beckerem lub Ivanem Lendlem. Ten pierwszy przyczynił się do sukcesów Novaka Djokovicia, ale aktualnie jest odpowiedzialny za niemiecki tenis zawodowy. Natomiast ten drugi pomógł wspiąć się na szczyt Andy'emu Murrayowi, lecz zakończył współpracę, gdyż nie był zainteresowany długimi podróżami.

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Właśnie z tego względu pojawiły się wątpliwości, czy obserwowane w ostatnich dniach wspólne treningi Zvereva i Lendla są zapowiedzią czegoś poważniejszego. Jak się dowiedział dziennikarz Moritz Lang, najlepszy obecnie niemiecki tenisista nie będzie miał w sztabie nowego szkoleniowca. Choć Lendl jest przyjacielem rodziny 21-latka z Hamburga, to jedynym trenerem na czas US Open Series 2018 pozostanie jego ojciec, Aleksander.

W ramach przygotowań do nowojorskiego szlema Zverev zagra w Waszyngtonie, Toronto i Cincinnati. W tych dwóch pierwszych imprezach będzie bronił punktów za zeszłoroczne tytuły. Niemiec liczy, że treningi w ośrodku Saddlebrook Resort & Spa na Florydzie znów pomogą mu święcić sukcesy. Razem z nim ćwiczył również brazylijski deblista i partner Łukasza Kubota, Marcelo Melo, który jest przyjacielem Zvereva.

German is defending one of the five titles he won in 2017

The Citi Open has always been a special event for Alexander Zverev. In his debut three years ago as an 18-year-old, the German reached the quarter-finals. Last season, Zverev survived a third-set tie-break in his opening-round match before eventually capturing the title.

It was part of a magical breakout campaign for Zverev, who would lift five ATP World Tour trophies in 2017, and finish the year inside the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings. But speaking ahead of his title defence in Washington, D.C., he made a statement that should scare the field.

“I think I’m a better player than I was last year,” Zverev said. “I think I’m better prepared, I think I’m better physically. Also, I think tennis-wise, there are thing that I’ve improved.”

While the Monte-Carlo-resident has lifted just two titles so far this season compared to three at this point last year, he’s still compiled an impressive 36-11 record and climbed to his career-best ranking of No. 3. Only one player, Dominic Thiem (38-12), has earned more victories this campaign.

“I think you can always improve. There are always areas where you can improve until the end of your career,” Zverev said. “But the competition doesn’t sleep, either. They’re all trying to find ways. They’re trying to improve as well. It’s been an exciting year so far, and hopefully it will be in the second half of the year as well.”

Zverev hasn’t fallen victim to any sort of ‘sophomore slump’, losing a maximum of two matches in a row this year. Why haven’t his opponents been able to adjust to what he brings to the court? That’s not something Zverev is worrying about.

“Everybody has a certain style of game. I think that has to be more stable and you have to be known for something,” Zverev said. “Everybody has their own things, everybody has their own weapons, everybody has their own weaknesses. I think it’s more about improving your weapons and improving your weaknesses as well, so people don’t have an easy route to beating you.”

The German took some time off after his third-round exit at Wimbledon before returning to practice in order to fully prepare for what is an especially important part of the schedule for him. In the three hard-court tournaments he played ahead of the 2017 US Open, Zverev earned an impressive 1,510 points, which he now must defend.

The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier, who is No. 3 in the ATP Race To London, will begin his title defence against Evgeny Donskoy or Malek Jaziri. He has never lost before the last eight in Washington, D.C., and hopes to keep that streak going.

“This tournament has a lot of history. This tournament has a lot of great champions. I won the tournament last year so for me, this is a very special place. I’ll try my best to do so this year as well,” Zverev said. “I’m very excited to start the hard-court season off here, where I’ve played well the past few years. I’m trying to defend my title and trying to play well again.”

Myślę, że jestem lepszym tenisistą, niż w ubiegłym roku - powiedział Alexander Zverev przed startem turnieju ATP w Waszyngtonu. W stolicy USA Niemiec będzie bronić wywalczonego w zeszłym sezonie tytułu.
Marcin Motyka
Marcin Motyka
31 Lipca 2018, 15:10
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Getty Images / Matthew Stockman / Na zdjęciu: Alexander Zverev

Turniej w Waszyngtonie sprawdzianem zdrowia i formy dla Andy'ego Murraya. "To będzie dla mnie wielki test"

W ubiegłym roku Alexander Zverev wygrał turniej ATP w Waszyngtonie, w finale pokonując Kevina Andersona. Zdobył wówczas swój piąty tytuł w głównym cyklu, w tym pierwszy rangi ATP World Tour 500. Teraz Niemiec wrócił do stolicy USA, by bronić trofeum.

- Myślę, że jestem lepszym tenisistą niż w ubiegłym roku - mówił na konferencji prasowej. - Jestem lepiej przygotowany do rywalizacji oraz silniejszy pod względem fizycznym. Sądzę też, że poprawiłem pewne aspekty tenisowe.

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- Zawsze są obszary, które możesz udoskonalać przez całą karierę - kontynuował. - Każdy ma swoje bronie, ale też słabości. Ja uważam, że bardziej chodzi o to, aby poprawiać mocne strony, niż słabsze, po to, aby przeciwnicy nie znaleźli łatwej drogi, aby cię pokonać. Każdy ma określony styl gry. Uważam, że to ważne, aby być stabilnym i być znanym z jakichś mocnych stron.

Zverev wie, że musi ciężko pracować, aby utrzymywać się w czołówce męskich rozgrywek. - Konkurencja nie śpi. Wszyscy szukają nowych rozwiązań i próbują udoskonalać swoją grę. Ale za mną jak na razie ekscytujący rok i mam nadzieję, że druga połowa również będzie udana.

21-latek z Hamburga przyjechał do Waszyngtonu z celem obronienia tytułu. - Jestem bardzo podekscytowany, że sezon gry na kortach twardych rozpoczynam właśnie tutaj. Ten turniej ma wspaniałą historię i wygrywali tu wielcy mistrzowie. Ja zwyciężyłem tutaj w zeszłym roku i dlatego to dla mnie wspaniałe miejsce. Bedę próbował zagrać jak najlepiej, postaram się obronić tytuł i zrobić wszystko, co w mojej mocy - stwierdził.

Inauguracyjnym rywalem Zvereva w Citi Open 2018 będzie Malek Jaziri. Pojedynek Niemca z Tunezyjczykiem odbędzie się we wtorek i został zaplanowany na korcie centralnym jako drugi mecz od godz. 1:00 czasu polskiego.

It's definitely not just another match, I think, for both of us.”

Mischa Zverev knew something was up. His younger brother, Alexander Zverev, said to him, “Check out the draw.”

“Why,” Mischa said.

“Check it out,” Sascha said.

Sascha had seen what ATP World Tour fans circled when the Citi Open draw was released: The possibility of the Zverev brothers playing each other in a tour-level match for the first time. And it was a good possibility: Each just needed to win a match.

The brothers batted away any hype, leaning on clichés. Mischa Zverev: “You never know. You don't want to look too far ahead in the tournament.”

Sascha Zverev: “We don't have easy opponents.”

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But at last, after a combined 539 main draw matches between the two, the Zverev brothers will meet in a tour-level contest. Sascha finished off Malek Jaziri of Tunisia on Wednesday evening, winning the second set of their rain-postponed match to advance 6-2, 6-1. Earlier in the day, Mischa beat American wild card Tim Smyczek 6-2, 7-6(6).

“I think it's going to be an interesting day,” Mischa said.

Alexander Zverev said, “I don't know him much because it's the first time we're playing,” he joked. “It's definitely not just another match, I think, for both of us... It's going to be very, very interesting for our family. It's a special day because not a lot of families can say that two brothers played against each other on such a high level... Obviously we both want to win. We won't give each other anything.”

The two have played twice before but in qualifying matches, and Mischa, who is nine years older than Sascha, won both of them (2012 Dallas, 2014 Houston).

“One is when I was 14 years old, so that doesn't really count,” Sascha said, “and the other time when I was 15 and a half. It was a very, very long match... and at some point, because I was quite skinny still and not very fit, I started cramping in the third set, 3-2, so I retired.”

They also played some Wimbledon finals against each other, in their backyard. "I was about 12, he was about 22. It was a lot of fun. I don't think I've ever won. Hopefully that will change," Sascha said.

Much has changed for both since then. Sascha is 21 now, the defending champion at the Citi Open and the No. 3 player in the ATP Rankings. His older brother isn't too shabby, either, as the 15th seed in Washington and at No. 43 in the ATP Rankings.

“It's nice because we're finally at a point where, we're at a big tournament, we both play decent tennis,” Mischa said. “I think it's a win-win situation because it means both of my parents did a good job. They raised decent tennis players, and it's going to be a win-win no matter what.”

Alexander Zverev to face winner of Nishikori and Shapovalov
It took 539 tour-level main draw matches for brothers Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev to finally meet on the ATP World Tour. So when the brothers posed for a picture after the coin flip, the emotions of the moment truly set in.

"We walked back, and the crowd was cheering, I almost had tears in my eyes," Mischa told Tennis Channel. "I was like, 'This feels so special. I wonder what my parents are thinking right now?' I needed a few seconds to actually bite my tongue and focus. To me, that was incredibly special."

Once the match got going, it was ‘Sascha Zverev', as chair umpire Mohamed Fitouhi referred to him during the match, who beat his older brother 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Citi Open in the first tour-level meeting between brothers since the 2016 Generali Open, where Gerald Melzer beat Jurgen Melzer.


The Zverev brothers had met on two previous occasions at the professional level — in qualifying of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas six years ago and in qualifying of the 2014 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. But it was the 21-year-old Zverev who clinched their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting after one hour, 51 minutes.

"[It was] very special. As Mischa said, who can say you played your brother in one of the biggest tournaments in the world?" Sascha said. "It was unbelievably special. I hope this is not the last time. I hope we play a final one day or something like that. So hopefully [this was] the first of many."

And while the stats show that Sascha saved two of three break points he faced while breaking his older brother three times, the memory they will retain came after Mischa sprinted forward and hit a drop shot into the net on match point. The brothers made a lengthy embrace on Sascha's side of the court.

Sascha, the top seed, is the reigning champion in Washington, D.C. He is also the defending titlist at the Rogers Cup, which means he is defending a massive 1,500 ATP Rankings points between this week and next. Zverev is at a career-high World No. 3, and he has done well to back up his breakthrough five-title 2017. The 21-year-old clinched his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumph at the Mutua Madrid Open, and also reached the final at the Miami Open presented by Itau and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

Nishikori

Zverev will next face seventh seed Kei Nishikori, who defeated ninth seed Denis Shapovalov 7-6(1), 6-3. The Canadian had won their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting earlier this year on the hard courts of Acapulco, but the Japanese star evened their series with more consistent play from the baseline throughout the match.

Nishikori is into his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season, as he continues his comeback from a right wrist injury. His clash against Zverev will be a rematch of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals, which Nishikori won in three sets to become the first Japanese player to reach the final of the event.

Did You Know?
The Zverev brothers were opponents for just a moment. Later Thursday evening, they completed their rain-delayed first-round doubles match, ousting top seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic.

Top seed to face Rublev or De Minaur on Sunday
Top seed Alexander Zverev is one win from completing his second title defence of the year, beating #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday to advance to the Citi Open final.

"Winning the first time feels amazing. But coming back here [there is] a little bit of pressure on your shoulders to defend your title," Zverev said. "I've got another tough match ahead of me. But if I will be able to [retain my title], it'd be an amazing feeling."

The 21-year-old is the first player on the ATP World Tour to reach 40 match wins in 2018. And on Sunday, against one of two #NextGenATP players, Andrey Rublev or Alex de Minaur, Zverev will try to lift his third tour-level trophy of the season and his ninth overall. The German retained his Munich crown in May, before earning his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumph in Madrid.

"It shows that mentally, you're also quite strong and you're improving," Zverev said of winning a tournament in back-to-back years. "It's not easy to come into a week where you have a big title to defend."


But Zverev has made himself at home at the ATP World Tour 500-level tournament in Washington, D.C., extending his record at the event to 15-2. Since debuting in the nation's capital at 18-years old, he has never failed to reach the quarter-finals.

Most Tour-Level Wins In 2018

Player Record
1. Alexander Zverev 40-11*
2. Dominic Thiem 38-13
T3. Rafael Nadal 35-3
T3. Juan Martin del Potro 35-8*
T4. Fabio Fognini 34-15**Still alive in Washington, D.C. or Los Cabos
And he used a strong serving performance — he did not face break point — to move past Tsitsipas after one hour, 28 minutes. In the first set, the German dropped only one point on his first serve, and took advantage of the Greek's poor serving — the 19-year-old made just 41 per cent of his first serves in the opener — to take control of rallies, showing his greater experience.
But Tsitsipas did not back down, digging into the match in the second set with better serving. He landed 65 per cent of first serves in the second set, and used that to step closer to the baseline and prohibit Zverev from attacking from the first ball. In a 24-point game at 4-4, the No. 2 player in the ATP Race To Milan even put his body on the line, diving to earn one of six game points he earned.


But on his fourth break point of the game, Zverev made a return off a deep second serve, and Tsitsipas hit a forehand into the net to concede the deciding break. The 6'6" right-hander is now into his fifth tour-level final of the season, as he also fell short in championship matches against John Isner in Miami and Rafael Nadal in Rome.

Zverev is trying to become the third player this season to triumph on multiple surfaces. He would join World No. 2 Roger Federer and American Steve Johnson. He owns a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Rublev, and he beat De Minaur in five sets in their only tour-level meeting.

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Did You Know?
Four 21-and-under players made up the Citi Open semi-finals. The last time that happened on the ATP World Tour was in Buenos Aires 23 years ago (Moya, Mantilla, Corretja, Novak).

"I'm the old guy this week," Zverev said. "Being the oldest semi-finalist this week shows that our Next Gen players are playing absolutely amazing tennis and they're all on the come up and we could all do well in big tournaments. It's great to see and hopefully this will not be the last time, but in the future this will happen more often."

German lifts his third trophy of 2018
The #NextGenATP showed its readiness for the big stage this week, with four players 21 or younger reaching the semi-finals in Washington, D.C., the first time that has happened on the ATP World Tour since 1995 in Buenos Aires. But it was the self-proclaimed ‘old guy’ of the group who left no doubt that he deserved the title.

Top seed Alexander Zverev beat 19-year-old Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-4 to triumph at the Citi Open on Sunday, capturing his third tour-level trophy of the season and ninth overall.

"It's quite funny, because this final could be the final of the next 15 years, so I hope you guys all enjoyed it," Zverev told the crowd.

The 21-year-old German prevailed in the youngest ATP World Tour final since the 2007 BNP Paribas Open (Nadal vs. Djokovic) to become the first repeat champion in the United States capital since Juan Martin del Potro triumphed in 2008-09. The Monaco resident’s victory comes in the youngest championship match in Washington, D.C. since 1982, when Ivan Lendl beat Jimmy Arias.


De Minaur showed fantastic heart to battle through a two-hour, 52-minute semi-final against Andrey Rublev on Sunday evening. But he simply could not find an answer to the German’s offence in the 74-minute championship match.

Zverev’s serve kept his younger opponent well behind the baseline, and he would use that to win all but two of his first-serve points in the match. The top seed played with more control than Rublev, while maintaining an aggressive posture in rallies. So it was tough for De Minaur to step into the baseline and impose his game.

The Aussie earned a roar of applause from the crowd when he hit an inside-in winner to hold for 3-4 in the second set, after saving three break points to avoid a double-break deficit. It was clear De Minaur was going to battle until the end, much like his mentor, former World No. 1 and 2004 champion Lleyton Hewitt. He saved two match points on his own serve at 3-5, but Zverev clinched the victory when De Minaur hit a backhand into the net in the next game.


The pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting came earlier this year in Davis Cup. Zverev won that battle in five sets after three hours, 54 minutes.

While De Minaur fell short of becoming the youngest Citi Open champion since former World No. 1 Andy Roddick in 2001, he was still the youngest ATP World Tour 500-level finalist since Zverev made the final in Halle two years ago.

De Minaur, who began the campaign at No. 208 in the ATP Rankings, will crack the Top 50 for the first time on Monday. The teenager will soar from No. 72 to No. 45.

"It’s been a great ride, and hopefully many more to come," Zverev said. "It’s been a really special week for me. It’s been a great first time here, and I can’t wait to come back."

Did You Know?
Zverev is now 9-5 in tour-level finals. He owns three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies, claiming his third earlier this season at the Mutua Madrid Open.