analysis
Alexander Zverev returns once again from one Grand Slam-T tournament back. The borders were shown at the French Open in Paris – from the 38 -year -old Novak Djokovic. But: The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is also responsible for this.
The term disillusionment probably hits it quite well. Alexander Zverev had Court Philippe Chatrier removed. Also his father and trainer Alexander in the Players box Stared still motionless. Last but not least, the audience who kept it with German, as paralyzed in view of the sobering four-set bankruptcy against Zverev against the now 38-year-old Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
The German tennis professional had once again not made it to his big dream of Grand Slam-victory to realize. On his favorite covering, the red ashes, it was again not enough for the really big triumph. But what Zverev left in the largest clay court stadium in the world despite its quick farewell to the observers was a mixture of helplessness and shake of the head. Because quite a few tennis experts have been wondering for a long time when the best German tennis player finally wants to develop his game.
Beats are supposed to crush enemies
“I’m going to play golf. I don’t feel like a tennis right now”, Zverev said after the game against the Serbs. A reaction that reflected his entire frustration. Probably not about this one defeat, for which he surprisingly made the low temperatures in Paris. But also about his overallperformance this year. Zverev was only able to play a win on ashes at a smaller tournament in Munich. Too little for his own demands.
In the meantime, Zverev seems to have arrived at a point where he can obviously no longer keep up with the absolute top of the world – which he continues to count as a world number of world rankings. And there are several reasons.
Zverev’s game is too one -dimensional. Force and speed are the factors that he puts at the center of his game. His hard basic strokes, especially with his backhand, are mostly sufficient against average players to assert themselves. His consistency in his blows is so high, so that they can continue to crush some opponents despite their mostly defensive attitude. Even if the 28 -year -old is two to three meters behind the baseline – in his comfort zone.
Alcaraz wears complicity
However, if he meets top players such as Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, or even professionals in the extended circle such as his Argentine fear opponent Francisco Cerundolo (three matches, three bankruptcies) or the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who can not only handle Zverev’s speed, but also have a lot of feeling, it becomes (too) complicated for him.
Zverev seems to be decoded on the highest level. And that is not exactly a small influence that Spanish exceptional talent Alcaraz. When the 22-year-old entered the Tennis World Bühne, he brought the stop completely frowned upon at the tennis professionals-and has now established it. A soulful tennis strike, used correctly, like a weapon. And Zverev has to experience this painfully in the past few weeks and months after it has been rarely confronted with it in previous years.
Too long ways
The stop has become one of the main remedies to prevail against Zverev. That now has the whole Circuit noted. Djokovic, for example, played balls against Zverev 44 (!) Balls that fell shortly behind the net. A few years ago, before the Alcaraz period, this game variant was hardly used by the top players such as Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal or only in exceptional cases.
The big problem for Zverev: his paths are often far too far. Even if the extremely fit German gets the ball just like this, he is very often left behind because he cannot position the felt ball in such a way that he brings the opponent into trouble. And of course every long sprint also costs strength – and creates frustration at the same time. This simple remedy was not only sufficient to go from the court as the winner against Zverev.
Good time for tactics change
Last but not least, for this reason, experts have been demanding for some time that Zverev has to move closer to the baseline and that his game has to make more offensive overall. And it is obviously not that Zverev would not have already recognized these deficits itself. In the first set (6: 4) against Djokovic, he succeeded impressively and he dominated the Serbs by robbing Djokovic with his offensive position and repeatedly daring to the net.
However, he usually does not hold out this approach, and again and again falls back into his old pattern of the too great passivity far behind the baseline. For a 1.98 meter tennis professional anything but an optimal starting position.
Zverev may now use the golf to deal with this problem and to trigger his playful stagnation. Now that the lawn season is just around the corner, where an offensive orientation and playful finesse are particularly important, it would actually be a perfect time for him to do a change of tactical change – which again opens up more opportunities to be more successful against the top competitors.