Alexander Zverev expects to be in the Davis Cup group games in mid-September at Rothenbaum in Hamburg. He was further than the doctors had expected, said Germany’s best tennis pro, who tore three outer ligaments in his ankle in June.
“That’s not a question in my head at all,” said the 25-year-old on Thursday in Hamburg: Davis Cup is “something completely different than playing a normal ATP tournament at home”. The German team meets France (September 14th), Belgium (16th) and Australia (18th) in the Hanseatic city. Olympic champion Zverev is optimistic before the duels: “We are a strong team. If we play with the best players, we can go far and even win the Davis Cup.”
“It will be a highlight for me this year.”
— Alexander Zverev on the Davis Cup in Hamburg
He is looking forward to the competition, explained Zverev: “I’ve already started to train hard and play tennis.” The Hamburg native hasn’t even checked off the US Open, which begins on August 29 in New York: “Of course I’ll still try, although it’s going to be very, very close,” said Zverev. The decision for or against the hard court tournament will be made in about ten days.
Zverev: Home advantage a great opportunity
“It doesn’t happen very often that you’re allowed to play Davis Cup at home. And we’re even allowed to do it three times in a row,” said Zverev. With the home advantage behind them, Germany has a great chance. He hopes “that we will fill the stadium and that the atmosphere will be special”.
Other group matches in the competition will take place in Valencia, Bologna and Glasgow. The knockout stage from the quarter-finals with the two best-placed teams in each of the four groups then takes place in Malaga from November 21st to 27th.
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Hamburg Journal | 08/11/2022 | 19:30 o’clock
