Zverev annoyed after opening victory
“It’s your job to ask so stupid questions”
10.05.2025 – 8:09 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
At the ATP Masters in Rome, Alexander Zverev takes the first hurdle without any major problems. The tennis star was annoyed after his opening match.
With a clear announcement on the square and a special guest in the stands, Alexander Zverev started in Rome’s clay court master. The Hamburger confidently prevailed against Argentinier Camilo Ugo Carabelli – and does not want to know anything about a form crisis.
After the opening victory (6: 2, 6: 1), Zverev briefly clapped with world champion Mats Hummels. The football star, currently active at AS Rome, had followed the match in the Foro Italico. Hummels announced that after the next away game of his team in Bergamo, to support Zverev in the upcoming rounds of the dress rehearsal for the French Open (from May 25).
However, the clear success of Carabelli was not yet a real location for Zverev. The same should apply to the next round. There, the defending champion meets the 20-year-old Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas in the fight for the round of 16-another feasible opponent.
In later rounds, heavyweights such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could wait. While the Spaniard was last struck, Sinner returns after a three -month doping lock. Zverev needs such duels to prove itself before the highlight of the season in Paris – and to avoid critical inquiries.
After the game against Ugo Carabelli, the 28-year-old was thinly in the on-court interview. When asked about his feeling about the clear victory, given the former Masters defeats in the season, Zverev apparently replied: he recently won a title and did not think about such things. “It is your job to ask so stupid questions,” said Zverev.
Previously, he had acted much more confidently on the square. He only needed 66 minutes for his opening success. “In general, it was a good match,” said Zverev afterwards, but restricted: Carabelli was not a benchmark. He himself “approved his things”. He is happy about that.