In his suitcase for his vacation in the Maldives, Alexander Zverev not only packs his swimming trunks, but also sports clothes. Lots of sports clothes. He will probably only allow himself “two days” of complete rest, after which the Olympic tennis champion wants to go to paradise: “I love being in the gym and seeing progress. That’s a vacation somewhere for me.”
Flay for what exactly? For first place in the world rankings? For his first Grand Slam title? Or for gold in Paris, his second at the Olympics? Zverev doesn’t know for sure himself, he says. Just this much: “I don’t want to set any limits for myself for 2024.”
This is a bold announcement from a player who was once number two in the world and was already very close to a major victory, but has only just completed his comeback season after a serious injury – and not quite yet playing at the level of the very best again.
Unfortunate Zverev exit in Turin
But for Zverev it is the development curve that counts. And the 26-year-old likes it, even if he was the sole record winner of the Turin final, in which Grand Slam record champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won 6:3, 6:3 against local hero Jannik Sinner with his seventh title , only the role of spectator remained. “I have to look at it positively, even though I was eliminated in the group phase: I finally beat Alcaraz and Rublev,” he summed up after his narrow elimination in the preliminary round at the season finale of the eight best tennis professionals of the year.
He managed a coup against Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, finishing with a confident 6:4, 6:4 against Andrey Rublev on Friday. The unnecessarily smooth defeat against his Russian compatriot Daniil Medvedev alone cost Zverev his place in the semi-finals and the chance of his third triumph at the season finale after 2018 and 2021.
“I won’t stop working”
And yet Alexander Zverev is quite satisfied when looking at his annual results. He won the titles in his hometown of Hamburg and in Chengdu, China, and ended the year in seventh place in the rankings. From this base camp, he should continue to move upwards, regardless of his legal problems, which Zverev does not let get to him in public.
“Being back among the best players in the world motivates me for next year. The longer the season lasted, the better I played. I won’t stop working,” explained Zverev and was hopeful: “The next one Season can be interesting.”
And this is actually not too far away, that’s how it is in professional tennis at the bone mill. The German number one wants to take part in the United Cup, a mixed tournament in Perth and Sydney, which begins on December 29th, alongside Angelique Kerber, who is returning (after a maternity break). The Australian Open, the first highlight of the tennis year 2024, begins on January 14th.