Alexander Zverev has had a wonderful season, wherein he has proven that he has undoubtedly returned to the very best degree after the intense ankle damage he suffered in 2022. Though he has not but managed to interrupt the curse in Grand Slam tournaments, the German champion has had spectacular consistency this yr and solely Jannik Sinner has received extra matches than him from January till right this moment.
It was exactly this nice regularity that allowed Sascha to shut 2024 as world quantity 2, surpassing Carlos Alcaraz due to his victory on the Rolex Paris Masters. The participant from Hamburg received the seventh Masters 1000 title of his profession, the second this season after the triumph in Rome through the spring.
Alexander Zverev, ATP Finals 2024© Stream screenshot
There have been excessive expectations on Zverev on the Nitto ATP Finals as effectively, however his run in Turin ended towards Taylor Fritz within the semifinals. The German had impressed on the group stage by defeating Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Carlitos Alcaraz with out shedding a single set, however his demons struck him within the semifinals.
Fritz is aware of Sascha’s weaknesses effectively and exploited them through the semifinal, particularly within the decisive tiebreak, wherein the German made too many unforced errors. The world quantity 2 should take an additional step when it comes to managing nerves and stress to win a Main title in 2025, in any other case this curse will proceed to final.
Though he has had an excellent season, a number of followers and insiders consider that Sascha doesn’t should occupy the second place within the ATP rating. Zverev precedes Alcaraz, who received two Grand Slam titles in 2024 and have become the youngest to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the identical yr (he additionally received the Indian Wells Masters 1000 for the second time in a row).
A glitch within the system
The German champion has been extra constant all year long, particularly in latest tournaments, wherein the Spaniard has struggled to play his greatest tennis.
On the most recent version of the ‘Inside-In’ podcast, prime coach Paul Annacone expressed his viewpoint about this matter: “In my opinion, Sascha Zverev’s had an amazing year. The points don’t lie. He played an unbelievable amount of tennis but if you win two majors and you’re not ranked two in the world, that to me says that there’s a glitch in the system.”
The German player has reached at least the round of 16 in all Masters 1000 played in 2024, further evidence of his regularity at the highest level. Sascha has only lacked the high point in Grand Slam tournaments, in which he played the semifinals at the Australian Open and the final at the French Open. Alexander’s goal is precisely to break this curse next year.
For this reason, the German has decided to skip the 2024 edition of the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The world No. 2 will begin training early and begin the new season at the United Cup, which will be his only event before the 2025 Australian Open. The German champion will be the No. 2 seed in Melbourne, which is why he will not be able to face Jannik Sinner before the final.
Sascha on his 2024 season
After the loss against Fritz at the ATP Finals in Turin, Sascha commented on his season: “I played some fantastic matches. I’ve won 65 matches, something like that. It’s been an interesting year for me, especially after the injury. It was kind of my first year completely back competing at this level and competing for big tournaments. I won two Masters events.”
Alexander continued: “But what stays in mind I think are the tough losses that you had. What will stay in my mind is the Australian Open loss against Daniil, the French Open final against Carlos. Those are the matches that stay in my mind.
You can trust me, I’m going to do everything I can to be back in the same moments, in the same position next year. I’m going to do everything I can to win.”
Alexander Zverev, ATP Finals 2023© Stream screenshot
The German may have completed extra in some necessary matches this yr and positively has regrets, particularly for not successful a Grand Slam title. Nevertheless, Sascha has proven some noticeable progress in latest weeks by bettering his perspective on court docket. Zverev has develop into extra aggressive from baseline and never solely waits for his opponents’ errors, however has discovered to take the initiative in rallies and be extra brave.
Due to his serve and his glorious photographs from the baseline, Zverev is ready to win on all surfaces. The German ace doesn’t have the peaks of Sinner and Alcaraz, however he’s working very onerous to get to these ranges as he himself admitted.