Alexander Zverev – Page 3 – TennisReporters.net

Roland Garros, Day 11: Tsitsipas & Zverev on pressure

June 10, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have reached the semis at Roland Garros and both of them have said that right now they believe that they can finally win a Grand Slam.

In Paris, Tsitsipas had a terrific win, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-5. He was very patient, hitting the balls deep. When he has a chance, he went for the winners. He didn’t do that at every opportunity, but he knew he could pound it.
“I feel privileged that I’m in that position, and I feel obviously I’ve put in a lot of daily hard work has been a key element of me being here. But my ego tells me ‘I want more.’ ” Tsitsipas said.

Last year at the 2020 U.S. Open final, Zverev was close in the fifth set, but he could not find the finish line against Dominic Thiem. The German backed away from going for his shots while the Austrian was fearless and won. This time in the quarters in France, he easily won 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The 24-year-old Zverev has won some big titles, taking numerous ATP 1000s and ATP Finals. He has won on clay and on hardcourts. But, holding him back was getting angry at himself. Now, he is so much smarter.

“Obviously, the Grand Slams are the tournaments that we want to win the most,” Zverev said. “Before, maybe, the last few years, I was putting too much pressure on myself. Before Medvedev and Tsitsipas arrived, I was seen as this guy that was going to all of a sudden take over the tennis world. I was not very patient with myself, which I feel like now, maybe, I learned how to deal with the situation a little bit better.”

Tsitsipas is 22 years old and now knows he is more comfortable with his forehand and his returns. His backhand can be flat, or he can swing very hard. He really likes his progress.

“I’m playing good. That will show by itself,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a player that thinks they can’t win the tournament. I’m pretty sure that they all can play well. If someone could grant them the tournament, I don’t think that’s a thought. Of course, I’m playing well. I think if I can keep repeating the process, the everyday hustle that I put in, for sure there’s going to be a reward, why not?”

Why not, that is for sure.

MORE
How about this? Usually at the Grand Slams, in the semis, there have been at least a couple women players who were in the top 10, or how about No. 15? Not now, this week. All four are in their first major semifinal.

Yes, all four players have looked excellent during the matches, but before that, none of them have won a huge tournament. So, on Thursday, it will be the No. 31 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova versus the No. 85 Tamara Zidansek; and then the No.17 Maria Sakkari against the No. 33 Barbora Krejcikova.

Going into Paris, many people, the journalists and the fans, would have thought that the top 10-ers would have reached into the semis, such as Iga Swiatek, Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova and others. But they lost or withdrew [Osaka]. So, now it will be the new, new players.

Will they be calm, or super nervous? All of them — Pavlyuchenkova, Zidansek, Sakkari and Krejcikova — will be shaking early, but when they can attempt to go for it, and read it, then they can be competitive. Two of them who wins it will start thinking about the final at Roland Garros on Saturday. Maybe they won’t sleep, but take a nap, and dream before they start. A good dream.

Thursday update: Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the final when she took down Zidansek 7-5, 6-3.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Maria Sakkari, roland garros, roland-garros, Stafanos Tsitsipas, Tamara Zidansek

2021 Roland Garros: 8 men to reach the quarters

May 27, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

While he’s No. 2, Danill Medvedev doesn’t like clay, so he could go down in the first week. Roger Federer is just starting again, and while he is very intelligent, he needs another month to be totally respectable.

Here are eight players who will reach the middle of the second week.

Novak Djokovic
Yes, the consistent, smart and his phenomenal backhand might make him the best player ever. His serve can be a weapon, he can bend down at the net for winners and put it away and hit ground strokes with the best. Even though he likes clay, but he his better on the hardcourts. He has won RG only one time, which is good, but not great. To beat Rafa Nadal on the dirt, the No. 1 will have to reach the heights. Maybe he will never win again in Paris.

Rafa Nadal
The Spaniard as won it 13 times, which is one of the sports most amazing records. His forehand is very hefty, he can spin it, and shatter it. He can knock it crosscourt, down the line, and in the center right at the chest. His serve is cold-blooded and he can twist it to the left, and to the right. Over the past month, he looked decent, but not great. Still, Nadal is a huge favorite once again.

Dominic Thiem
The Belgian really thinks that he can win it for the first time in Paris. He reached the final twice. He can be confident, but Nadal beat him and can do it again. Over the last couple years, he certainly became substantially better. He added with more game. He could win this event, but he has to play 100 percent in the final to bag it.

Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Greek has become thoughtful and more focused. This year, he has beaten some excellent players, ponding then with his heavy strokes. He is alert, he can be locked in, and he finally likes to slide. He really believes that he is one of the best players currently. Maybe he will be, eventually, but to become No. 1, he has to win a Slam or two.

Alexander Zverev
You never know how well the German will play. He can be phenomenal, and then, he can be ticked off when he isn’t playing well. From the backcourt, he can run for a long time, and he can be super consistent, and he can punch for a winner. He did that when he won in Madrid a few weeks ago. Yes, he was close to winning a Grand Slam when he fell to Thiem at last year’s US Open and he has won a few ATP 1000s. So, in a sense, he is right there. Eventually, he can win a major soon, but at RG in June? Not quite yet.

Andrey Rublev
The Russian was on fire in the first three months, but in April, he beganto skit. He became more aggressive and stronger. But, he can be very good, and bad, winning and losing. He is only 22 years old, so he is trying to be more consistent. He probably will, as long as he can find a more complete game. And learn.

Matteo Berrettini
The 25-year-old Italian has become a very terrific player, upsetting Thiem, Rublev and Gael Monfils. In 2019, he won a lot of matches, on the clay, grass and the hard courts . The No. 9 is very tall and he can rip the ball, but he needs to step it up a little bit. On clay at RG, if he wants to go deep, he has to take more chances.

Casper Ruud
The Norwegian just won Geneva. The week before in Madrid he lost in the semis, to … guess who? Yes, Berrettini. That is very close. Once again, he is only 22 years old, and he likes to hustle, and he is pretty consistent. To go much further though, he has to push himself more.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Dominic Thiem, French Open; Roland Garros; Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, rafa nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas

The two very good A’s: Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka win Madrid

May 10, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

In the third set in the Madrid final, the rising Aryna Sabalenka was looking at a 4-4 score against No. 1 Ash Barty. Last year, in the winter, the spring and much of the summer, she was decent, but not great. But in the fall, she decided it was time to be different, smarter and control her emotions. So then, she was in control.

Sabalenka won the next two games for 6-0 3-6 6-4 victory. That was the best title ever. She is a gigantic hitter, with her hard forehand and backhand, and with her first serve, she can blast it. Her returns are very decent, too.

But listen, she has yet to win major title, but Barty has. Now they are 4 and 4, tied in their head to heads.

Sabalenka thinks that she can win Roland Garros. She thinks that, but she has to prove it. The Madrid championship was the first time she won on clay. So, in Rome and Roland Garros, if she wants to week after week, against the excellent players, she must focus all the time. One way or another, Sabalenka will continue to be aggressive and, right now, tough to beat.

Barty won 2019 Roland Garros, and she could win it in June. She has played excellent ball this year, mixing it up and move it all around the box. Getting another French title is very doable for her, as her confidence is beginning to make a difference.

German Alexander Zverev is so spectacular when he is confident. On Sunday, he overcame Matteo Berrettini 6-7 6-4 6-3 once again in Madrid. There have been so any times when he gets upset and irritable/ But, when he is playing well, he shows a smart and tactical game. He also likes to scramble and eventually he can whip the ball.

Zverev now has five ATP Masters: Madrid (twice) London, Rome and
Canada. Last week, also upset Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem, two Slams winners. If he continues to be healthy, it is pretty clear that Sasha will win a major. But in Roland Garros? Possibly. Good luck.

NOTES
Sabalenka said: ‘I feel a little bit better on the clay, a little bit different.’ Oh yes she did…

John Isner on Andrey Rublev: “He’s the second best clay-courter in the world right now. He hits the ball so big. It’s pretty fast. He just does so many things well.” He has, over the last year…

Simone Halep, after she losing Elise Mertens: “I want to do it better, is to stop missing, because sometimes I am rushing and I do some mistakes that I normally don’t do. I have to work on that and to be more patient in the future.” The future is now …

Felix Auger-Aliassime when he lost against the rising No. 16 Casper Ruud: “He’s improved a lot. He has a great forehand, we all know that, and he did what he had to do.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka, ash barty, John Isner, madrid, roland garros, Simona Halep

Notes of a draw sheet: Novak Djokovic’s phenomenal returns

February 24, 2021 by Matthew Cronin

The 2021 Australian Open is now done. Next year, hopefully, things will be changed with fans and more fun for the players.

The good thing in Melbourne was the tour CEOs and the tournament director kept the event under control. It was a tough during the 14 days, they probably did not sleep much. During five days, no one could come to the event due to the vicious coronavirus. But, spectators came back towards the end, and the players were happy, listening when the fans are cheering. They were thrilled.

Novak Djokovic won the event again, and now he was 18 Grand Slams. When he is on, he is deadly. He easily beat the tall Daniil Medvedev in the final, because he is phenomenal with his returns. He is now totally dominant once again.

The-so-called up-and-comers are good, maybe very good. They can go deep at the most important events, but, except for Dominc Thiem, they have yet to win a Grand Slam.

Medvedev can play jarring tennis but, at the last two sets versus Djokovic, he looked exhausted. He is going to have to get better shape, so he can battle for many hours.

At least he beat the rising Andrey Rublev, because the other Russian doesn’t use much variety. We can all also look at Stefanos Tsitsipas, a heavy player, but he can be discontented when he isn’t doing well. In the quarters, he played as well as he did, stunning Rafa Nadal 7-5 in the fifth set. That was wonderful. But on Friday, against Medvede , he was worn out. He fell quickly in three sets. Next time, he may stay around, he hopes.

Alexander Zverev had a terrific contest against Djokovic. He had a chance to go into the fifth set, but the Serb was calm, and the German couldn’t pull it off. He went down 7-6(6) in the fourth. A tough loss.

With the young Americans, there are some good signs, but can they reach the quarters this year at the Slams? Maybe Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda. Rise up, young men!

NEXT: The women

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, danill Medvedev, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas

TennisReporters.net 2020 year-end review: top 6-10, men

December 26, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

10. Matteo Berrettini
He watches various sports, and he goes to cheer. And he also pays attention. He likes swimming, football and judo. In 2019, the Italian grew up, and upset Dominic Thiem, before losing to Alexander Zverev in Shanghai. At the US Open, he upset Andrey Rublev before he lost to Rafa Nadal. Overall, though, in 2020, he looked OK, but not great. He went 9-6 this year. That was almost mediocre. In January, he needs to harness his skills and make a statement.

9. Diego Schwartzman
He can scrape, run around and get to most ball. He has added to a few more shots. This year, he upset Nadal in Rome, and then at Roland Garros a couple weeks later, he also shocked Dominic Thiem in the fifth set. But in the semis, Nadal kicked him out. He has a very respectable ground game, but he has get do closer to the net and improve his second serve. To get higher than his one week at No. 8, he must develop more weapons.

8. Andrey Rublev
The Russian finally climbed up the rankings, figuring out that in order to be steady, he needed to suffer. He won Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna. He said it best about his 2020 campaign: “This year I win more tournaments than in my career. I win more matches than in my career. I can be only grateful for the season. I become top 10 for the first time. So the season was amazing for me.” The 23-year-old player showed more smarts. His first serve packs plenty of power and produces a lot of aces. But, he must to get better, each month to challenge the best. He did have a fine year. In 2021, I expect more of the same.

7. Alexander Zverev
Next year, the German will continue to elevate or sputter. At the 2020 US Open in the final, it was a tremendous match, toe-to-toe, between Zverev vs Thiem. The corners were tremendous, they hit some gigantic forehands and backhands. Both would were tired, but in the end, Thiem beats Zverev 7-6 (6) in the final. But, Thiem showed more daring and guts. Zverev backed off and was very upset to let his first Grand Slam slip away. He can be irritable, but when he is thinking hard, then he can blast the ball. However, he slips in and out of synch. In the fall, he won Cologne, he upset Nadal in semis at the ATP 1000 Paris. But in the ATP Finals in London, he couldn’t reach the semis. He was ready to go home, but he was still upset in New York — two months later — and, he is still recalling. “The US Open match obviously still hurts, but all the other ones, it’s great that I’m playing at this level again. Still, it was a good year and there is a lot to build on for next year.” Yes, but he has to deal with off-court issues: Olya Sharypova’s abuse allegations and another ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, who is pregnant and claims he is the father.

6. Stefano Tsitsipas
The Greek can be very intense, and on court, his eyes are lucid. After he lost against Nadal in London at the ATP Finals, he said, ‘I should have handled it a little bit more clever and patiently, but it didn’t happen. My serve was not there when I needed it, you just have to be there. I wasn’t fully present. I wasn’t playing in the moment.” He also said that he was very disappointed. He actually had a good year, but not perfect. Over the past two years, of course, Tsitsipas has beaten a lot of good players. He has beaten top-20 players, but his nerves get in the way. He lost to Milos Raonic, Novak Djokovic, Borna Coric, Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov and Thiem. He has a lot of shots, and it can also be much too erratic. Meaning, if he wants to a Slam for the first time in 2021, he has to be composed.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman, Matteo Berrettini

Finally, a new men’s Slam winner

September 13, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

A few days ago, Alexander Zverev was on court at the semis against Pablo Carreno Busta, and the German was flailing in the first two sets. Zverev was spaced out, and he could not play patient.

In the third set, he was ticked off. To have any chance, he had to target it. Pretty quickly, his first serve was massive, his forehand was towering and his backhand was monstrous. The hefty hitter was confidence, and Zverev won it 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

In the semis, he knew that he had to trust himself. He did, but now he has to face Dominic Thiem. He is in his first Slam final in the US Open on Sunday.

Austrian Thiem has reached the Roland Garros final twice and, while he does love clay, he couldn’t figure out how to attack Rafa Nadal. The Spaniard has won a millionth times at RG (actually 12), while Thiem was stymied again.

The Austrian decided not to grind it for hours on clay and began practicing more on hardcourts. And he was faster now In January, Thiem reached the final at the Australian Open, and he has ready to stun Novak Djokovic. Once again, Thiem had a chance to win his first Grand Slam trophy, but he couldn’t dismantle the Serb. Djokovic is a backboard, who has now 17 Grand Slams.

Thiem has a one-handed backhand. Against Daniil Medvedev in the semis, he just mixed it up all the time. He was sharp, and he never gave up when he he needed to dig down deep. He pulled it out, 6-2, 7-6(7), 7-6(5). It is time, for show time.

Thiem is 27 yearsold, while Zverev is 23. At the start of the year, the semi veteran Thiem beaten the German 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in the semis at the Australian Open.

Thiem is the favorite, because he is a little bit more mature, and he knows very well. As long as he can push back the 6’6” German, he will rule. Zverev has a chance, too, if he can keep calm and focused. It could be a harsh contest, for both of them, because there will be some long, solid rallies.

Thiem will win it in four, lively sets. That will be a new Grand Slam winner in 2020. Finally.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem

Alexander Zverev: Is he ready to win a Slam?

September 10, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

The 6-foot- 6 Alexander “Sascha” Zverev can be on fire. But, then in the next games, he will ignore what he is supposed to do. In some matches at the end of last year and through early 2020, he did what he needed to succeed against intelligent players.

Zverev is only 23 year old and started playing as a pro in 2013. Eventually, he began to figure out how to take tough matches. He started to lock in, then figured that he was going to win a big title. He won Rome, Canada, Madrid and the ATP Finals. He played some excellent ball, and at various tournaments, he looks good. But when he started to slip, he could smash down. He has screamed or throwing his rackets into the ground.

And he could be cocky. When talking with a journalist, he could be irritable with some hard questions and answers.

Well now, even when Zverev is playing so-so, I wonder what he is thinking he walks to the next point. Maybe he is thinking about how to sprint at the net. If the ball is really low, does he bend down and think, “I can put it away. But sometimes, I could miss it.” Maybe he thinks, “OK, I missed it, but in the next point, I can really breath, so now I can really center.”

However, the past 11 days, he seems to be thinking clearly. In the first round, he put down Kevin Anderson, returning deep and attacking early, because he didn’t want to attack the net. That worked.

On Thursday, he will face Pablo Carreno Busta, who the German beat in their only meeting in 2018 Miami. He beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 36 7-6 (5) 7-6 (4) 06 63, in more than four hours. Carreno Busta had to puff and puff to keep going, and he wasn’t nervous, and hit with a lot of depth. The Spaniard worked with his coach from March through August, and he changed his strokes.

They both know that in order to win one they will have to hit it deep and keep their composure and mental acuity. The key is … don’t panic.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Pablo Carreno Busta, us open

Zverev has started to climb up the mountains, beats Nadal

November 12, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

No. 1 Rafa Nadal can play fantastic in the winter, the spring and the summer. But, in the fall, the Spaniard’s legs collapse. He wants to play — he always wants to walk on the court and crack the ball — but he is 33 years old. While he can win another Grand Slam in 2020 (isn’t Roland Garros his for the picking?), or to win the ATP 1000s, too, that does not mean that he can compete a lot year after year.

Yes, this season, Nadal won Roland Garros and the US Open. That is tremendous, but he absolutely has to rest. He does a bit, but in the ATP 1000 Paris two weeks ago, he pulled out after the quarters. He wanted to be healthy in anticipation for London.

Against Alexander Zverev on Monday, Nadal couldn’t play well at all. He could not smoke the ball. He hit it short, and all over the place.

Zverev did play quite well; he was solid, strong and patient. He beat Nadal 6-2, 6-4, which was a little bit surprising, considering that Nadal had beaten the German five times. But, not this time. As the Spaniard said, he came to London, but his body is suspect.

“I am disappointed, because knowing that I will not be at my 100 percent in terms of feelings, in terms of movement, in terms of confidence or hitting the ball. I needed my best competitive spirit , and I was not there in that way,” Nadal said.

How about this? Zverev hit 26 winners, while Nadal hit just three forehand winners. Given that his forehand is the best in the game, he just wasn’t sharp. He is dealing with his abdominal injury. Maybe on Wednesday, Nadal will shake it off and pound it.

“What really matters is I need to play much better in two days,” Nadal said. That’s the only thing.”

The good thing about Zverev is that he admitted that he has had a so-so year, and he struggled, a lot. Last year, a year ago, he was riding high. Then he slipped way down. Over the past month, he has started to climb up the mountains. On Monday, Zverev looked very different.

Can Zverev, the defending champ, win it again? It is too early to say, because they just started and they will play three matches, win or lose. Zverev really likes the London O2. On Wednesday, Zverev will go against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who just beat Daniil Medvedev.

At the Slams, Nadal has played for 15 years, while the other three are just starting out. All three of them are enthusiastic, but Nadal must be irritated because he lost. He doesn’t like pushing the ball, so on Wednesday, win or lose, he is going to swing much harder and, hopefully, inside the lines.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp finals, daniil medvedev, london, rafa nadal, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer will clash at the ATP Finals

November 8, 2019 by Jeff Frank

Rafa Nadal comes into the ATP Finals with just a week off since he withdrew from the Paris Masters semifinal with an abdominal strain, and there are a lot of questions about him physically — but not about his game.

The lefty can smash his forehand, stay very patient, and is still willing to have long rallies where he will blast it into the corners when the other player is exhausted. The 19-time Grand Slam champion has also improved his backhand — it’s deeper now — and he is tough to beat at the net, when he comes in. Though he stands way behind the baseline when he is returning, almost on the wall, he can get it back regularly and then get into the point.

While people know that he is the best player ever on clay, winning 11 times at Roland Garros, he has won on hardcourts both at the Australian Open and the US Open. So when Nadal is healthy, he can beat them all everywhere.

But the problem for Nadal at the ATP Finals has been being healthy, because he’s withdrawn or retired there six times, exhausted from a long season. This time, he says he doesn’t know what shape he will be in when he takes the court. He really wants to win it, though, badly, and certainly can if he plays like he is capable of.

Serbian Novak Djokovic has won here a lot of times before, and he might do it once again. The photos show why — when he is locked in, his eyes are very wide, and he is looking directly at the ball. He will return deep, and then he will camp on the baseline with his amazing backhand, and he will rally crosscourt until he can knock it down the line. He has won 16 Grand Slams, and this year, the Australian Open and Wimbledon. That was crazy, considering that the Spaniard and Djokovic have played each other 50 times. Most of it, it was darn close.

Djokovic just won ATP Masters Paris, and while he was a little bit injured and off during the last few months, he has been around for a long time and he knows that as long as he practices, he will eventually return playing terrific. Currently, he is very close to playing 100 percent, and he is feeling confident. He wants to become No. 1 again, and push everyone aside. Without a doubt, he is the top favorite to win it again.

Roger Federer has had a solid year. He was unable to win a Grand Slam again, but he also won four tournaments, which means that he is still alive. In July, at Wimbledon, Federer lost 13-12 in the fifth against Djokovic. Even if he lost, he is still good on the move, and he can be spectacular. Federer thinks deeply, and he can change the tactics when he has to, using his variety. At the ATP Finals, he has won a record six titles. He has beaten them all, but he has lost, too. In 2018, he went down to Alexander Zverev. In London, he has a fine chance to win it once again, standing at the net and putting away his volleys. Federer is always very competitive against the top players.

The ATP Finals odds have three distinct tiers, according to Sports Betting Dime. Djokovic (+120) is in a class by himself, followed by Federer (+400), Medvedev (+450) and Nadal (+500). Zverev (+1200), Tsitsipas (+1200), Thiem (+1400) and Berrettini (+2200) are the longshots. The best value among the bottom four looks to be Tsitsipas. With wins over Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, and Zverev (twice) this season, his upside is as high as Medvedev, though his consistency is lacking.

Daniil Medvedev has had an incredible year. He started back in July, when he reached six finals in a row. It took the 23-year-old Russian five years to become smarter and more thoughtful about when to go for it and when to hold back. He is tall, steady and he can rip his first serve, his forehand and his backhand. Now, he’s aiming to show the fans who he is. Recently, Medvedev said that he wants to become No. 1 soon. Yet he first has to upend the big boys — Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. He has a wonderful shot to win it all.

Dominic Thiem is no longer one of the youngsters, as he is now 26 years old. But, the Austrian still has a long career in front of him, so he can grab a major, perhaps next year. On clay, he has reached the final twice at Roland Garros, and looked very good as he has heavy strokes, deep shots, but he could not do enough to upset Nadal.

On the hardcourts, Thiem has improved a decent amount over the last couple years and his first Masters title this season was on this surface. He moves well inside the court, he can be aggressive and go for the lines, both ways, with his forehand and his backhand. Yet to win the tournament would be his best performance ever and, at the moment, he doesn’t quite look close enough.

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a very good year at times, though he can be up and down. He has played a number of long matches this season, showing he can smash his first serve, pin his forehand and he can also rally, too. He certainly needs to return better, but in the past year, the 21-year-old is very steady with his backhand. Tsitsipas is intelligent, he listens to his coach, and his goal is that one day, he will become the best player on tour.

Maybe he will, but first, in London, he has to focus every moment to upset the great veterans and he must find the corners because of the speed of the indoor court. Tsitsipas may not win it all, but he is very excited to be there for the first time, so he will give it all. To win it would be surprising. He isn’t ready yet. But, soon.

When Zverev is on, he can be very positive, but when he isn’t, he can become very angry. Problems off the court this season have sometimes left him not concentrating fully on the court. That is why from March through September, he lost early and often. Yet in the fall, he recomposed himself, and while he isn’t playing fantastic, but he is much better than he was at the US Open. He was mentally gone there, saying he had no confidence.

It was very different at the 2018 ATP Finals, which Zverev won, beating Federer and Djokovic. It looked like he was going to win a major, but he didn’t. Perhaps, some year, but currently, mentally, at the ATP Finals he is not playing at the level to win it again.

From nowhere, an Italian made into the ATP Finals and it wasn’t even Fabio Fognini. Matteo Berrettini is pretty young, and he has yet to win a big tournament. But, at the US Open, he upset Gael Monfils in the quarters, 7-6 (5) in the fifth. He was overjoyed. When he started the year, he was ranked No. 54, and in April, he took off.

Berrettini is a huge hitter with his forehand, but he can be steady, too. He is 23 years old — so he is still young — and he will have to get better all around. Yes, next year he can make an attempt to enter the top 5, but this week at the ATP Finals, he has virtually no chance to win it. He will be very nervous.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp finals, Daniil Medevdev, Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, rafa nadal, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Laver Cup event: Will the top players come back in 2020?

September 23, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

It will be a very interesting to see in the Laver Cup survive. Oh yes, this weekend, there is a ton of terrific players, but that doesn’t mean that next year, right after the US Open, they will play another time.

Many of them want to rest after the summer, when they had to play three of the Grand Slams: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. The summer season starts late in May, and then it ends in the beginning of September. It is three and a half months, a real grind. Especially with the very good players, because they always go deep at the tournaments, most of the time. That is why their bodies can be very sore, or extremely hurt.

At the Laver Cup, the players are competing for Team Europe, and, for all other continents, Team World.

Yes, it was a dramatic end. They were all there: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kevin Anderson, John Isner, Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Fabio Fognini and Nick Kyrgios, among others, and more.

In Sunday, the last match, Zverev beat Raonic 6-4 3-6 10-4 and Europe won cemented the win. Earlier, in the doubles, two Americans, Jack Sock and John Isner, overcame Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Then, another young American, Taylor Fritz, upset Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-7(3) 10-5. Then, Federer turned it around in singles by beating Isner 6-4, 7-6. Zverev has not had a great year, but he played much better this week in the Laver Cup

There were three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Was it very serious, or just having fun? That’s a toss-up.

Believe it or not, in singles, early on, Sock beat Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-6(3). Sock hadn’t beat anyone this year, in singles. That is a shocker, because in the fall of 2017, he reached No. 8, in singles at the ATP Finals. Yes, last year and this year, he was hurt, but he tried in singles and doubles. Clearly, now, he loves doubles, as he won a could majors with Mike Bryan. But, in singles, Sock has so much work to do, certainly in his head and beyond.

With the third Laver Cup in the books, I would think that many people had a fine time and attendance is strong. But again, outside of the Slams, it is not easy to sell it, year after year. My suggestion is a reevaluation and make some changes.

Notes
But the way, Kyrgios and Sock are good friends. They are controversial, and maybe, during the fall, they can win a lot of singles matches in Asia.

Here is a good quote from Zverev: “I had two great coaches [Federer], one on the court and one [Nadal] on the sidelines. I could just shut off my brain and do whatever they told me to do.”

In St. Petersburg, there are some good players last week. No. 4 Daniil Medvedev was there, and without a doubt, the fans were cheering for him. A year ago, not many people knew who he was. Now they do, after he reached the final at the US Open. And then, he beat Borna Coric 6-3, 6-1 to win on Sunday, He is a huge hitter, and he hustles…

Croatian Coric is ranked No. 14. Five years ago, he looked very good, and many thought he would go very far. But he has sort of stopped. Yes, he can win matches, but can he take down the best players? He is a true grinder, which is good, but he needs to be more aggressive and thoughtful.

Another top 10-er, Karen Khachanov, lost in the first round. He is slipping a little bit…

In Metz, France, the veteran Jo Tsonga won the title, beating Aljaz Bedene. In his long career Tsonga has been somewhat close to winning a Slam, but he hasn’t. I have said this so many times, that certain people become injured all the time. It is hard to stop it. But at least Tsonga keeps trying, and he can focus. He goes have a terrific forehand and his first serve, too. Now he is back in the top 40. He has won a bunch of events, winning 18 trophies. Yes, he was won two ATP 1000s, in Paris and Canada. But, can he win a Grand Slam for the first time next year? He is a nice, terrific person, but can he grab his first major when he is 34 years old? That is extremely difficult, but he can push, hard.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, John Isner, Laver Cup, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas