In recent years, the German has made giant strides towards the TBS title. The 27-year-old was on the verge of winning the 2020 US Open before Dominic Thiem staged a memorable comeback to surprise the German. Now on his favorite clay, Zverev hopes to finally be able to make his mark, especially after eliminating the legendary Rafael Nadal from the tournament.
The story of Alexander Zverev on clay
Historically, Zverev has excelled on European clay courts. He reached the semifinals three times at Roland Garros, his best result among four Grand Slam tournaments. However, Zverev’s semi-final loss in 2022 will likely weigh heavy on his heart.
Zverev faced Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the French Open 2022. The tennis players played a tense first set, which ended with Nadal winning the tiebreaker. Despite losing the first set, Zverev did not give up, but injured his ankle and Nadal reached the final. The Spaniard won the final against Casper Ruud, but Zverev could have played against the Norwegian if not for his unfortunate injury.
Alexander Zverev demonstrates a game adapted to clay. The German relies on his services and he also covers the entire pitch. Zverev has a better winning percentage on clay than on other surfaces. During his career on clay, the German won 69% of his matches. Zverev is currently the second best server in men’s tennis, behind Hubert Hurkacz. The 27-year-old has a first serve success rate of 72.2% and averages around 8 aces per match.
Despite his struggles at Grand Slam tournaments, Zverev managed to win titles on other clay courts. Of his 21 trophies, 7 have been won on clay, including two titles at the Madrid Open and a triumph at the Italian Open. His current form and experience on clay have made Zverev one of the favorites for Roland-Garros 2024. Especially since Jannik Sinner was injured before Roland Garros and was considering withdrawing. Novak Djokovic is not in the best form and has not won a single tournament yet, Daniil Medvedev does not like clay, Carlos Alcaraz also has problems and Rafael Nadal is already defeated. Based on this, Roland Garros 2004 is Zverev’s best chance to win his first TBS of his career.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
