David Ferrer Opens Up on His Split With Alexander Zverev

Currently ranked 3rd in the World, Alexander Zverev is being coached by his father Alexander Zverev Sr. However, apart from his father, the German has also been coached by some of the biggest names in the sport.  

One such player is David Ferrer. The German worked with Ferrer during his 2020 season. Even though Zverev had a decent 2020 run, the two separated from each other in January 2021. David Ferrer recently opened up on his decision to stop working with Zverev.

David Ferrer had a long and illustrious career of close to 2 decades. After turning pro in 2000, the Spaniard won 27 titles and reached a career-high rank of 3 before retiring in 2019. 

David Ferrer and his relationship with Sasha

The Spaniard split with Zverev in January 2021. Talking to UbiTennis, the former World No. 3 Ferrer shed some light on his time working with Zverev and his decision to part ways.  

He said, “For me, it was not difficult at all to work with Sasha, he is a hard worker. I really enjoyed being his coach, I enjoyed it.”

(Quotes have been translated using Google Translate)

He further went on to explain the reason behind his split with World No. 3 Alexander. “I had to finish after a year – as agreed – because I have a family and I prefer to spend time at home with them and do something else.”

Zverev faced Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final. During that time, there was a lot of speculation that Ferrer sent tactics to Zverev over the phone before the final. Addressing that, Ferrer clarified, “During the US Open, I talked to Sasha every day before matches and sent him the tactics over the phone, not just during the final against Thiem.”

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Alexander Zverev during his tenure with David Ferrer

Zverev entered the US Open as the 5th seed. He played some brilliant tennis in New York and reached the finals at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. In the finals, he was beaten by the 2nd seed Dominic Thiem in 5 sets. 

Getting a confidence boost by reaching the finals, Zverev entered the Roland Garros, expecting a similar result. However, he was beaten by Italian prodigy Janick Sinner in the 4th round. After that result, he went on to win ATP Cologne 1 and Cologne 2. 

He reached another final at the ATP Masters 1000 Paris; he was beaten by Russian Daniil Medvedev in three sets. Zverev and Ferrer parted ways thereafter in January 2021.

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