“Was ten times better than me”
Zverev without a chance satisfied with “great tennis”.
06/10/2023 09:37 am
Alexander Zverev is denied entry into the final of the French Open, his opponent is too strong. But despite the defeat against Casper Ruud, the German tennis star is satisfied. For him, a year after his serious ankle injury, it’s about more than just victories.
After the semifinals at the French Open, Alexander Zverev is again regularly among the contenders for a title in a Grand Slam tournament. “Maybe not in Wimbledon because it’s played on grass, that’s more difficult for me,” said the tennis Olympic champion after the unexpectedly clear 3: 6, 4: 6, 0: 6 against the Norwegian Casper Ruud. “But generally speaking, that’s my mindset from now on.”
The lawn classic in Wimbledon starts on July 3rd. Zverev has never made it past the round of 16. In Paris, the Hamburg player failed for the fifth time in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, and he only made it to the final once at the US Open.
The 26-year-old admitted that the time before the French Open was difficult. This year, after his serious ankle injury at the French Open 2022, he failed several times early on against top professionals and slipped down in the world rankings. “I hope I can continue from there and that’s over,” emphasized Zverev. “I think to date I’ve played great tennis here. It’s definitely something to build on.”
In general, he is satisfied that he returned to the top of the world quite quickly: “It usually takes longer. I was in a Grand Slam semi-final. That’s very positive.” He emphasized: “Overall, I’m playing at a very high level again, which is nice for me. I’ll take that with me from the two weeks.”
After the game, Zverev spoke about the fact that he suffered a small strain in his thigh in the last training session. “We don’t have to talk about the fact that I lost today, he was ten times better than me,” admitted Zverev. “The most positive thing is just that now I can say I’m back. I’m back to where I was from playing tennis.”