How Zverev fulfilled his promise and proved the experts wrong
After criticism levelled at Zverev regarding the development of his game, the German has proved the doubters wrong with his run to the semi-finals of Roland-Garros
Autissier / Panoramic
It was less than a fortnight ago that Alexander Zverev travelled to the French Open after another disappointing defeat.
In the semi-finals of the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva, Zverev was outplayed when he lost 7-6, 6-3 to an inspired Nicolas Jarry.
Jarry went on to win the tournament the following day. By then, Zverev was already sitting in the media centre at Roland-Garros in a small round table, exclusively with German reporters.
Zverev struggles on return from injury
Zverev, who had started his comeback in January after a seven-month injury break, had only managed to win three matches in a row in Dubai up to that point in 2023.
His best victory came over 29th-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut in Monte-Carlo. He also suffered three defeats, some of them very close, against Daniil Medvedev.
In Madrid, Carlos Alcaraz showed him his limits. Then there was the bitter first-round defeat at his home tournament in Munich against the inexperienced Australian Christopher O’Connell. In the press conference afterwards, Zverev said: “I’m not really coping with the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd at the moment.”
Roland-Garros resurgence
Not many would have expected at that time that he would be in the semi-finals of the French Open one and a half months later – again.
It is the sixth Grand Slam semi-final of his career. The third in a row in Paris came after a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 three-hour, 22-minute win on Wednesday against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
With this success he defends his points from last year and will be seeded at Wimbledon despite the long injury break and the difficult first months of his comeback.
Only eleven days ago, German reporters did not expect the confident impression Zverev made on media day before the start of the French Open.
I will prove them soon they are not right
Zverev on proving his critics wrong
After a training week in Geneva and then several matches under his belt, Zverev felt he had received good preparation.
“Jarry played outstandingly well. His forehand was so good. I would have lost against him that day even with the form I had before my injury,” Zverev said.
Alexander Zverev bullish in determination to prove critics wrong
Instead, the Olympic champion had a clear message for his critics when asked about it by a reporter. Michael Stich and Boris Becker, among other experts, had criticised Zverev before the tournament, stating Zverev had not developed his game.
“The experts make some pretty stupid comments sometimes saying I did not develop myself. No s**t? I couldn’t walk properly for seven months. So it is difficult to develop your game when you are not able to walk,” said Zverev.
“The rest I don’t care. I know in which physical condition I am. I know what I want to do and what I am capable of doing. I also know what I have to do to reach my goals. I’m 26 years old, I continue to work for my goals and I don’t need to be told by experts that I won’t play at the top anymore. I will prove them soon that they are not right.”
Zverev at peace ahead of Roland-Garros
There were no more confident announcements before the tournament began. Zverev seemed at peace with himself and his tennis.
Even the break-up with Sergi Bruguera was not a big deal.
“My father, he and I didn’t have the same opinion on how I should play tennis after the injury,” Zverev made it clear in his long answer in German press that he had nothing but praise for the French Open winner of 1993 and 1994.
At the same time, the Olympic champion emphasised that he had always seen Bruguera only as a valuable addition at a time when his father’s health had not been good.
It soon seemed Zverev was right about this, too. With his father as head coach and ex-professional Tobias Kamke as his hitting partner, he gained confidence throughout Geneva.
His sessions at the Jean Bouin training centre in Paris also got visibly better as the French Open went on. In the first week, he still struggled a bit with his stringing. “The Wilson balls are incredibly heavy and incredibly slow here compared to the Dunlop balls in Madrid and Rome,” Zverev admitted to German reporters after the first round. “That’s why I string softer than in any other tournament.”
For the Olympic champion, it was a mental thing. “I have to have the courage to go down with my stringing and still swing through in the match.”
Resurgent Zverev finds form in Paris
Before the quarter-finals a week later, there was no sign of insecurity in training. Zverev’s hard hitting has been feared on the tour for a long time. Anyone watching him this week could see that he is back.
Physically, he has also caught up. In the German press conference on Wednesday, Zverev then gave valuable assessments of the first months after the injury, in which he was still in pain but had not wanted to talk about it.
“Why should I have talked about it? All players have pain at times. It was clear that I had an injury and I didn’t want to say every week: ‘I’m in pain’. At some point everyone knows.”
He had to deal with it and explained, “I still had a lot of fluid in a certain joint in my foot that came back a lot and caused pressure. I couldn’t do different things.”
Knowing his tennis well, he said, you could see that. “I didn’t slide as much on hardcourt as I usually do. At the beginning of the clay court season, I also slid even less, sprinted and never really stretched out my foot doing that. If you looked closely, you could see it,” Zverev admitted.
In contrast to the days before, Zverev was very brief in his media appearances yesterday. He was accompanied by an impatience that is always visible when he feels the pressure.
Zverev keen to put talk of injury in the past at Roland-Garros
Asked by a reporter whether something was still missing after the injury, he replied sharply, “I’m in the semi-finals of Roland Garros. You don’t get there if you’re missing something.”
He added that the tournament was not over yet. “We can talk about the injury and the story as much as we want. At the end of the day, I’m here to win tennis matches, which I’m very happy about. Then we’ll see how it goes. I’m in the semi-finals. Not many have managed that,” said Zverev.
Zverev tried on Wednesday to manage his own internal and external expectations. And when asked, he took issue again about the way the French Open dealt with his diabetes condition.
“I don’t think there were any problems with that at the Australian Open. I don’t remember at all. Then it seems to have worked well down under.”
Zverev said he was now allowed to inject himself with insulin where he wanted this week in Paris. After the last match, he had complained in a long reply, saying, “At the ATP tournaments, none of this is a problem. But here I’m not supposed to do it on the court. They say it looks weird,” Zverev followed this with heavy criticism for the organisers.
On Wednesday he said in German: “After the tournament, let them see what they want to do. Forbid me from taking the injection? They can’t do that. That’s why I think the decision will become permanent. A decision just has to be made at some point. I am allowed to look at an electronic device, which other players are not allowed to do, too. There’s a reason for all that.”
Zverev has never had a problem speaking his mind. In terms of results he has already proven it to his critics by reaching the semi-finals.
Yesterday, he did not give the impression he was satisfied, saying, “It just means that I am in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam and have the chance to play in the final and then hopefully for the title. Nothing more.”
He plays Casper Ruud on Friday for a spot in the final. Zverev praised the former finalist.
“Casper has been in this situation before, here in the final, so he knows exactly what to do. He is a very, very good player, a very solid player. He reminds me a lot of David Ferrer.“
