After difficult months and despite physical problems, the German tennis star Alexander Zverev fought his way into the final of an ATP tournament for the first time since June.
The Hamburg player, who had recently been in poor form, won his semi-final in Vienna against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6:4, 7:5 and regained some self-confidence in the final spurt of a mixed season. In the final on Sunday, the Olympic champion in Tokyo will face Jannik Sinner, second in the world rankings.
Zverev, who received additional regeneration after his quarterfinal opponent Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands) withdrew on Friday, impressed in the first set against Musetti, especially with his strong serve game. As a result, he mostly kept calm in some tricky situations and used his second match point with an ace.
“Let’s see where I stand”
“It was difficult, but of course I’m very happy. I found a little self-confidence in myself and my body”said Zverev and added with regard to the duel with Sinner, whom he is meeting for the first time since the Australian Open final defeat at the beginning of the year: “It’s going to be a big challenge. I’m looking forward to playing against one of the two best players in the world. Let’s see where I really stand.”
In a final for the first time since June
For the first time since losing to Taylor Fritz (USA) in Stuttgart in June, Zverev is back in a final; he celebrated his only tournament win this year in Munich in April. Sinner, who triumphed in Vienna in 2023, had already advanced by winning in two sets against the Australian Alex de Minaur (6:3, 6:4).
On the way to the final, the Italian didn’t drop a set. Zverev, Vienna champion of 2021, defeated the Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the round of 16 and prevailed despite persistent back problems. In the first round he had a lot of trouble against Jacob Fearnley.
Important destination Paris
Zverev wants to get his fitness back during the current game – after the tournament in Vienna, the Masters in Paris, which he greatly values, is coming up, where he has 1,000 points to defend as defending champion. Despite his suboptimal condition, Zverev is also planning his comeback in the German Davis Cup team, which will face Argentina in the quarter-finals in Bologna (November 18th to 23rd).
Before that, the ATP season finale is in Turin (November 9th to 16th). Zverev was number two in the world at the beginning of the year and was targeting the top position at the time, but now the main thing is to secure third place – and get his body back in shape with a view to the new season. He’s been suffering from back pain for a while now.