Zverev stoically leaves New York trauma behind, also led by coach Ferrer tennisnet.com

Alexander Zverev He knew how not only to convince on the field during his first appearance at the French Open, but also to work with David ferrer it seemed surprisingly harmonious.

Even behind the mask you could guess how satisfied David Ferrer was tonight. And with her husband, with Alexander Zverev. It was Ferrer’s first public appearance as Zverev’s coach, it was Zverev’s first clay-court match in this crazy and complicated season, but in the 7: 5, 6: 2, 6: 4 win in the player’s first round. 23-year-old from Hamburg against Dennis Novak (Austria) on Sunday night at the French Open, Zverev and his Spanish super coach (38) seemed like a long-standing, perfectly harmonized and highly effective duo. “David is a great pleasure to work with,” Zverev said later, “we understand each other almost blindly.” As if this alliance hadn’t existed since the summer. But for many years.

An icy wind swept across the Red Square in Paris and rain lashed the night. It was a time when no one had voluntarily walked out the door, more wintry than autumn. But Zverev, the unfortunate winner of the US Open final, stood on this lousy starting day with an unflappable, defiance and composure on the drenched main court, as if he hadn’t even noticed the elements. Yet it was exactly the mindset that had always distinguished his new coach and former French Open finalist Ferrer in his not-so-long professional years: namely, over and over again. “I’m glad he’s playing tennis again,” Zverev later said laconically about tonight, but also about the entire tennis world. Dealing with disturbing things that you can’t change anyway is not your thing anymore.

Becker: “positively surprised”

The fact that he was so stoic and so unimpressed in Paris as he was in his victorious run towards the New York Grand Slam final was a bit astonishing. Because in the Roland Garros refrigerator, Zverev not only had to hide the bad weather on the first match day, but also had to face the trauma of his failure in the final against his Austrian friend Dominic Thiem. How he finally did it, DTB boss Boris Becker demanded a lot of respect: “That was not a matter of course after the sleepless nights he must have had after the US Open.” He was “absolutely shocked” by Zverev, Becker said. “He did what needs to be done: accept the conditions, focus on what is necessary for success.”

Which was by no means taken for granted in Zverev’s career. But this year it has increasingly become his trademark. In the same way that he advanced in the tournament in New York without deviating from all the ups and downs, demonstrating his willpower over and over again in adverse situations, now he also began the challenge in Paris with a mental stability hardly seen before. And this stability also contributes to Zverev’s newfound efficiency: despite a 2: 5 deficit in the first set against not an easy opponent Novak, the Hamburger marched in three straight sets to initial success. In the past, in the final stages of major tournaments, he just “didn’t have the strength anymore” to play a major role, Zverev said, “I absolutely had to and I wanted to change that.” In the early days of a major competition, you shouldn’t “Waste Energy”.

Verified US Open: Focus on the French Open

After the failure in New York, Zverev had just sunbathed at his home in Monte Carlo and did not compulsively suppress Schmnerz, but agreed: “It’s not nice when you’re the first player in 70 years to score 2-0. – You forgot the lead. from the set in such a final. ”Then, after a few days of mourning and laziness, Ferrer’s arrival in the Principality restored his vigor and aggressiveness.

The new cooperating partners embarked on the Roland Garros mission and thus also to confirm a trend of this 2020 season. Because Zverev is also heavily involved in the current game year to overcome his Grand Slam weakness, the stumble with the great ones. Stages. In Melbourne in January, he advanced to the semi-finals of the Audtralian Open, in New York he reached the final, and is now planning another race “well into the second week,” according to Zverev, “preferably the final. “Is it also about denying the criticism of the experts and the media, Zverev was asked? No, he said, the most important thing is to focus on yourself. And to prove to yourself “that you belong right up front”. One of the natural contenders for a Grand Slam title.

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