Alexander Zverev

[grzes430]

21.08.2017

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 6

[Lucas]

Alexander Zverev Interview Saturday, August 26, 2017

Spoiler:

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. The buzz around here has been that this could be a real opportunity this year for you with Djokovic not in the Open, you beat Roger in Montreal. How are you feeling about your prospects?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Well, I think for, you know, I played great on the hard courts so far, won two tournaments, Montreal and Washington back to back, which are two huge events, Montreal is Masters Series. I felt like I could compete and beat anyone during this period of time.
I feel quite welcoming into this Open. I feel different about this Grand Slam than I have felt before about the Grand Slams.
So, you know, it's obviously Roger and Rafa are the biggest favorites still. I think how the year has been going, they are still on top of everyone. But, you know, I'm just going to go match by match and hopefully I can get to those guys.
Q. What do you think you have learned about yourself from this experience and from gaining confidence from playing against this caliber of player?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Well, I think it really showed me that I can beat those guys on a daily basis. I mean, I have won two Masters events this year, which is something new I think the tour hasn't seen for quite a long time apart from the Big 4. You know, everything is starting to come together and hopefully can continue.
Q. How would you describe yourself as a player?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I mean, the usual stuff. I mean, I'm trying to be aggressive, trying to take the time away from my opponents, especially when I play someone like Roger, Rafa, where you have to be the aggressor on the court otherwise it's going to be very tough to beat those guys.
Q. At the beginning of the year when you were 24 in the world, if someone would have told you that you'd go on to win two Masters events and be the fourth seed at the US Open, what would your reaction have been?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I mean, you probably expect me to be super surprised. Obviously I wouldn't have expected it, but I know, as well, what kind of work I have done in the offseason, what kind of work I have done throughout the season, and that me and my whole team are all working towards something like this, and something hopefully even bigger.
Obviously I'm super happy the way things are going, but I'm not going to be satisfied with just being the No. 4 seed, you know. Doesn't really matter at the end of the tournament what seed you were. It only matters how far you went and what matches you have won.
Hopefully I can do that like I have done in other big events this year, and we will see how it will go down in the end.
Q. Can you tell us how many days off you took after the Cincinnati defeat and how you prepared for the tournament, trying to recover?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: The first time I practiced was Monday, and I went to the Hamptons with my whole family. I've got a great friend there who gave us the opportunity to come there. I actually went to the beach a lot, played a little bit of golf. Just relaxed a lot. Didn't do quite a lot of physical activities. Then Monday started full practice again.
Q. What do you think, for you, is the biggest key to having success at a Grand Slam tournament?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Well, I mean, this year I haven't played bad at Grand Slams. I just had very tough draws. I think after my Rome victory I played Verdasco in the first round of the French, which is not an easy round for any seed. Then I lost to Rafa in five sets in Australia, which was a very tough match that could have gone both ways. He ended up being in the final. In Wimbledon I lost to Raonic in five sets, which I felt like I really could have won that match or maybe should have won.
You know, it's just here and there a few points decided both of those matches, and, you know, who knows what could have been if I won those matches. But, you know, getting over one of those matches and getting over beating one of the big, big names in tennis in a five-set match, that's, I think, that's where the success will come in.
Q. You seem to be very good at learning from mistakes. If you have a match that didn't go well, next time you play that person, you perform much better. How do you do that specifically? What do you do to make that happen?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I analyze a lot and watch a lot of videos afterwards. I watched the match actually, so I know exactly what I have done wrong, what I could have done better the next time.
That's what I'm trying to do. That's how I try to keep improving and try to, you know, playing an opponent for the second time, make it easier for me and tougher for him.
Q. Have you watched the videos for a lot of years? What other stuff do you add to improving?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Have I watched videos of my opponents for a lot of years?
Q. Yeah, like the videos you study.
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, more of the matches I have played against them, because I think every opponent has a different game style and every player has a different game style.
If Roger plays one way against Rafa, I can't really, you know, relate to that, because he plays a different game.
But still, I can look at a few things and I can look at stuff that they do well and maybe not do that well even though they do almost everything perfect.
But, no, just try to be as well prepared for every single match as you can.
Q. You seem to know that confidence is very important in this game. Do you think you have the mental confidence to beat a Roger or a Rafa here at the Open?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Well, I mean, as I said, I have gone deep with them in previous Grand Slams. I have beaten them in three-set matches. I have beaten them in Masters events.
So, you know, I think it all depends on how the match goes. I think it all depends on the day, as well.
You know, I think we are all playing great tennis over the hard court swing, so it's more about that than just thinking, okay, I'm playing them in a five-set match is going to be so much different than a three-set match. Obviously it will be a much longer match, but it's not dissimilar. The tennis doesn't change that much.
Q. You alluded to the Big 4 earlier. With Novak out and you and some of the other up-and-comers doing so well, how would you describe the opportunity for guys outside of the Big 4 to win here?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: You guys keep saying that Novak is out. I think the defending champion is out, as well. I think that's something massive, as well. I think Stan at Grand Slams has shown us over the last few years that he's dangerous and he's won three Grand Slams in the last three years.
So you can't forget about him. I think he's a big part of, you know, the big 5, that's how I call them, you know, because Andy and Stan have both won three slams. Of course, Andy has won much more outside of Grand Slams. But Stan is a big threat to everyone, as well.
But, yeah, obviously the seedings move a little bit. Normally I would have been No. 6 seeded if both those guys play. I'm No. 4 seed, so that helps a little bit.
At the end of the day, I think at Grand Slams it's going to be a lot of tough matches before you get to see those guys. Every opponent will try to play his best tennis because that's the tournaments we play for.
As I said, there is going to be a lot of other tough opponents, and we will see who will come, who will have a breakthrough at the US Open.
Q. Does having your brother on tour help you? How has that affected you over the years?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Have you watched any of my interviews before? Just a question. Have you? How many times have I gotten this question asked, in about the last three months?
Q. A lot?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yes. But I'm going to say it again. It's great to have him on tour. He's been a big help for me. I hope I was a big help for him. You know, I'm in the comeback stage that he had. He's No. 25 in the world or whatever he is. It's great for him. He's having such a great, great year. Hopefully we can continue to play great tennis together.
You know, who knows? Who knows what the future holds for both of us?
Q. Andy has talked about seeing you on tour over the years when you were six, seven years old. Couple of brothers coming from a little Scottish town, one who got to world No. 1 in singles and other one is No. 1 in the doubles team. Talk about that if you could.
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think the Murray brothers have done amazing in tennis. It's obviously nice to see that we are not the only brothers who can do great stuff.
You know, they have one-year difference in the age between them. We have 10. That's a little bit of a different thing.
But, you know, I have known Andy or Andy knew me since I'm four, five years old, and it's always great, you know, to know that I have known them and know who I was before I even started playing on tour. I was always pretty welcomed by those guys, by Novak, by Andy, by other guys similar age, plus my brother played juniors with them.
I think it's quite amazing what nice guys they are, and obviously how welcoming they are to everyone else on tour, as well.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv ... ml?chip=12

[Barty]

Zverev Eyes Deep Run At US Open

Spoiler:

After winning two Masters 1000 titles this year, is 'Sascha' ready to take the next step?

At 20, is Alexander Zverev ready to become a Grand Slam champion? Perhaps so. The next two weeks at Flushing Meadows will tell for sure.
Despite not reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final, Zverev will start among the tournament’s favourites and is the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw following the withdrawal of No. 2 Andy Murray. Two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this season – Rome and Montreal – are proof that he has what it takes to win the big titles. A Grand Slam crown is the next step.
In New York, the fourth seed is attempting to become the second-youngest US Open champion in the Open Era behind 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990.
“I played great on the hard courts so far, won two tournaments, Montreal and Washington back to back, which are two huge events,” Zverev said Saturday. “I felt like I could compete and beat anyone during this period of time.
“I think [the Masters 1000 titles] really showed me that I can beat those [top-ranked] guys on a daily basis. I mean, I have won two Masters events this year, which is something new I think the tour hasn't seen for quite a long time apart from the ‘Big 4’. You know, everything is starting to come together and hopefully can continue.”
Zverev opens his campaign against Barbados’ Darian King. He is seeded to meet Kevin Anderson in the third round, Jack Sock in the fourth round and John Isner in the quarter-finals.
Zverev began the year at No. 24 in the Emirates ATP Rankings but has surged to No. 6, enough to earn him the fourth seed with the injured Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka not entered into the draw. Asked if his progress had exceeded expectations, Zverev said: “You probably expect me to be super surprised. Obviously I wouldn't have expected it, but I know what kind of work I have done in the off-season, what kind of work I have done throughout the season, and that me and my whole team are all working towards something like this, and something hopefully even bigger.
“Obviously I'm super happy the way things are going, but I'm not going to be satisfied with just being the No. 4 seed. Doesn't really matter at the end of the tournament what seed you were. It only matters how far you went and what matches you have won.”
The US Open begins Monday.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/zve ... at-us-open

[arti]

[Lucas]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0--M1ow ... &index=132[/youtube]

[Lucas]

Konferencja po przegranej 2 rundzie USO 17`

Spoiler:

Q. You played in a lot of matches lately. Are you tired?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. I mean, I took time off after Cincinnati. Physically I'm fine. I just played very, very bad in the second and third set. I should have won the third. I definitely should have won the fourth.
But, you know, it's upsetting because the draw is pretty open in the bottom part. I felt like I should have been the favored there. You know, I just played a very, very bad match, so it's unfortunate. But that's how it is.
Q. He has a history of playing you well. Does that play on your mind at all?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: We played two times, so... I don't know, is that a history? I think Rafa and Roger have a history. Or Novak and those guys have a history. I don't think we have a history. We played two times.
Q. A couple times you complained to the ref. Was there anything bothering you with the ref?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I don't remember, to be honest.
Q. With your incredible talent, two Masters Series wins, you were seen as a real possibility for this title. I would think for a young person it would be hard to absorb all that. Do you think in some way that got to you or affected you in any way?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, because I've been dealing with expectations from a very young age, so for my whole career. For me, this is just another step. I was the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the draw after Andy retired. Now I'm out of the draw, so...
For me, nothing changes. I still have to go back to work and then try to win this title maybe in the future years.
Q. What would you consider a successful rest of the year for you?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I just lost the second round of a major where I shouldn't have lost, so I'm not thinking about the rest of the year.
Q. Were you surprised at how he was able to maintain his level through to the end, especially the long rallies and breakpoints? Was that at all surprising to you?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I mean, he played really well on the breakpoints. Maybe had a little bit of luck on his side, as well. Caught the line, had a few let cords and stuff like this. Everything was just a little bit against me.
But, I mean, I know what level he plays on. I know that he can maintain it. My level wasn't high today, so that's more the problem.
Q. How do you handle all the expectations?
ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I don't think about it. I just play every match the same way, try to play every match the same way. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. Luckily for me most of the time this year I was winning, so that's good.
It's upsetting. Today was upsetting. The way I played was upsetting. The tournament so far is upsetting for me. I know that I could have done some big things here. I know that I could have done something that I haven't done before. But I won't. It's just as simple as that.

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interv ... tml?chip=7

[DUN I LOVE]

Zverev, po porażce Marina, może być pewny Top-5 rankingu entry po zakończeniu US Open. Nie wiadomo jeszcze, który będzie. Teraz jest numerem 4, ale wyprzedzić może go Dominic Thiem.

[Lucas]

Najwyższy ranking w karierze (11.09.17): 4

[Lucas]

[Barty]

[Damian]

[Lucas]

Zverev Enjoys Warm Welcome In Beijing

Spoiler:

It’s a warm welcome in Beijing for the youngest player in the Top 5 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
Alexander Zverev, who has risen from No. 24 to No. 4 in 2017, arrives in China’s capital with all the momentum of a standout second season on the ATP World Tour. 2017 season has seen the 6'6" German win five titles – the same amount as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – including two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Rome (d. Novak Djokovic) and Montreal (d. Federer).
But as the season comes to an intense finish and the Emirates ATP Race To London heats up, Zverev looks to keep building upon the consistency that he established throughout the season, starting this week at the China Open.
“I'm pretty consistent all over the year so far. always played pretty good tournaments. I didn't lose a lot of bad matches,” said Zverev. “Of course, everyone loses bad matches, but I didn't have a lot of them this year. That's a part where I'm happy, the way I improved, the way I got better.
“There [are] so many things that everybody's trying to improve. I think Roger and Rafa, they are the two best players of all time, but they still improve each year they play. You can never stop. That's something that I'm still going to be working on to get to the top of the game.”
Following a quarter-final appearance at the Shenzhen Open, where he lost to an in-form Damir Dzumhur, Zverev arrives in Beijing as the tournament’s No.2 seed. The draw also features World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, 2011 champion Tomas Berdych and last year’s runner-up Grigor Dimitrov, who claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in August.
At just 20 years old, Zverev’s rapid transition from a successful stint in the juniors to a flourishing professional career has in part been because of his professional mindset, which he credits older brother Mischa Zverev for instilling in him.
“I think my brother helped me with it because he was on the pro tour already. He could always talk, he could always teach me a lot of stuff,” said Zverev. “But then also it depends on game styles as well a little bit.”
The younger Zverev says that his style of play in the juniors helped carry his success over to the ATP World Tour.
“A lot of juniors, they play so-called ‘junior tennis’ where they put the ball in play, try to wait for their opponents to miss, stuff like this. I was always somebody, even when I was losing, who was trying to be aggressive, always trying to hit the ball.
“I think from a young age, you have to try to learn to play an adult game,” he added. “Even though it doesn't always work out, at the end that's the only way of making the pros. That's the only way of being successful on the pro tour afterwards."
In Beijing this week, Zverev and his aggressive “adult” game open against Kyle Edmund, against whom Zverev owns a 1-0 record in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The German wunderkind is popular with China’s sport-loving fans – and it’s a popularity he happily embraces.
“They're always very supportive here in China. That's why I think all the players love coming back. They're trying to be very personal with players; trying to interact ... A lot of my fans love my dog, for example. I get a lot of gifts for him, as well, which I find very amazing.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/zve ... 17-preview

[arti]

Zverev Moves Closer To London Bid

Spoiler:

Alexander Zverev inched closer to clinching his debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in London on Tuesday.

The second seed started his China Open with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory against 22-year-old Kyle Edmund of Great Britain in a match that finished after midnight local time. The 20-year-old Zverev broke in the third and ninth games of the first set.

Edmund raised his level in the second set and had a set point on his racquet at 5-4 after breaking Zverev. But the German broke back and sprinted through the tie-break, winning the final four points for the straight-sets win.

Zverev improves to 2-0 against Edmund in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 6'6” German is in third place in the Emirates ATP Race To London with 4,220 points, behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Fourth-placed Dominic Thiem, who lost on Tuesday in Tokyo, is 505 points behind Zverev.

The Hamburg native will next meet Italian Fabio Fognini. Zverev leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0, a 6-3, 6-3 win earlier this year in Rome en route to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/zve ... 17-tuesday

[DUN I LOVE]

50. mecz w sezonie wygrał dziś Sasza - oczywiście to pierwszy taki rok w jego karierze. Kwalifikacja do WTF coraz bliżej.

[Damian]

Alexander Zverev Qualifies For Nitto ATP Finals

Spoiler:

Youngest qualifier since del Potro in 2008
Twenty-year-old Alexander Zverev is set to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 12-19 November at The O2 in London. A winner of two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles this season, the German joins Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the 2017 field, leaving five places up for grabs with six weeks to go until the season-ending tournament.

Buy Tickets

“I think it's great for any player to qualify for a prestigious event that we have in London,” said Zverev, who attended the tournament in 2015 to receive his ATP Star of Tomorrow Award presented by Emirates. “It's really an award for, I think, every player that shows that you've been one of the best players, not only for one or two weeks in a year, but you've been one of the best players for the whole year. That's something special. That's an amazing achievement for me, and I think for all the other guys, as well.

“The atmosphere is amazing in London. I've been there for the award that I got two years ago. So hopefully it’s going to be similar to that. I know it's going to be very special event for me.”

Zverev, who qualified by reaching the semi-finals at the China Open in Beijing, is the youngest player to clinch a berth at the season finale since a 20-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in 2008 and the first German singles qualifier since Rainer Schuettler in 2003.

One year since lifting his first ATP World Tour trophy at the St. Petersburg Open, Zverev has won five in 2017 – tied with Nadal and Federer for the most singles titles this season. With his triumphs on clay at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (d. Djokovic) and on hard court at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (d. Federer), he became the first player outside the ATP’s ‘Big Four’ to win multiple Masters 1000 titles in a season since David Nalbandian in 2007.

Zverev additionally won the ATP World Tour 500 title at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., and claimed a pair of ATP World Tour 250 titles – at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and BMW Open by FWU in Munich. In Montpellier, he also teamed up with older brother Mischa Zverev to win the doubles title.

The Nitto ATP Finals welcomes more than 250,000 fans to The O2 arena each year, as well as generating a global TV viewership of more than 100 million, as the ATP’s best eight singles players and doubles teams compete over eight days at the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/zve ... -qualifies

[Lucas]

[DUN I LOVE]

Dawno nie było młodego zawodnika, który by zrobił taki progres na przestrzeni jednego sezonu (awans z Top-25 do Top-3). Chyba trzeba by sięgać pamięcią do Del Potro, a może i do Murole.

[Barty]

Duża jednak w tym zasługa kontuzji innych graczy, szczerze to nie czuję, żeby to był trzeci gracz świata (pewnie przez brak dobrych rezultatów w szlemach).

[Damian]

Zverev Refreshed And Ready For Strong Run In Shanghai

Spoiler:

Zverev is the youngest to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals since 2008
Alexander Zverev has enjoyed an amazingly successful year on the ATP World Tour. But if you ask him, he still has plenty left to achieve.
While many players may be starting to fatigue physically and mentally from the rigours of the season, the 20-year-old German, who last week clinched his spot in the Nitto ATP Finals, says he has more in the tank.
“I'm going to go out there, I'm going to try my best, play every match, you know, full and we'll see how it goes,” Zverev said. “I'm ready for the upcoming events. I'm ready for this one. I'm ready for the next big ones in Europe, and obviously London, as well.”
After a disappointing second-round loss at the US Open against #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric, Zverev put in a training block to prepare for what he expects to be a strong end to 2017.
“I had five days off of doing nothing, and then I did ten days of just physical [training]. I did kind of a mini-offseason, actually,” said Zverev, who lifted weights and completed track sessions. “I didn't put down the racquet for too long. I would have had five days no matter what I did at the US Open. I just used it for training. I was still home, still enjoying Monaco a little bit. I was still at the sea and that helps mentally, as well.”
That can only be good news for the fourth-ranked player in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Zverev, who is tied for second on tour with Roger Federer at five titles. World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won his sixth last week at the China Open, where Zverev advanced to the semi-finals (l. Kyrgios).
But while Zverev became the youngest player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals since Juan Martin del Potro in 2008, some will point to his results at the Grand Slams. His best finish was at Wimbledon, where he lost in the Round of 16. Zverev has faced tough competition at every Grand Slam.
“I didn't lose bad Grand Slam matches, apart from the US Open. US Open I think was bad for me. I think I played bad,” Zverev admitted. “Apart from that, you know, I lost to Rafa five sets in Australia. I lost to Milos [Raonic in] five sets at Wimbledon, who was the finalist the previous year. You know, even in Roland Garros I felt like Fernando Verdasco played a good match against me.”
Those losses do not take away from what Zverev has done in 2017, winning two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (Rome and Montreal), with the opportunity for another this week at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, where the right-hander is the third seed.
"I think Shanghai is one of the best Masters that we have,” Zverev said. “I think maybe [it] is the second-best Masters after Indian Wells, even."
It is an opportunity for Zverev to become the only player on tour to win three Masters 1000 events this year, with an even greater chance looming in London.
“Obviously I'm waiting for the breakthrough. Not waiting; I'm doing a lot of stuff for it. I'm practising, working hard,” Zverev said. “I'm sure it will come. I'm very, very sure about it.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/zve ... 017-monday

[Barty]