Hard work instead of easy canter: Alexander Zverev fought his way into the next round against Mariano Navone at the Masters in Madrid.
The 28-year-old had problems in the 6:1, 3:6, 6:3 against the Argentine, especially in the second set, but in the end he deservedly moved into the third round. There the world number three, who had a bye in the first round, meets Frenchman Terence Atmane.
Zverev dominated at the beginning and gave the visibly nervous Navone little chance; after just 22 minutes the score was 6-1. In the second set, Zverev brought his opponent back into the match through slight mistakes and unnecessary service losses. In the decisive third round, Zverev managed a quick break to make it 2-0 and he never gave up the lead. After 1:43 hours, the 2021 Olympic champion converted his second match point.
Djokovic and Alcaraz not there in Madrid
“The first set was almost perfect, and then I completely lost focus. It was terrible in the second set, but that sometimes happens in the first match of a tournament,” Zverev said afterwards. “I definitely need to focus better. But the level was there, it was great tennis in the first and third sets. I just have to stick to it.”
Along with Italian world number one Jannik Sinner, Zverev is the biggest contender for the title in the clay court tournament, which is worth around $8.2 million. His chances have increased after the cancellations of the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and the Serbian Novak Djokovic. Defending champion Alcaraz will not be able to compete at the French Open in Paris, the highlight of the clay court season, due to a wrist injury.
