‘He Was the Chosen Guy’: British Tennis Legend on Alexander Zverev’s Slamless Run

Alexander Zverev had a fantastic 2021. He won six ATP titles, including Olympic gold and ATP Finals, and returned to his career-high ranking of world No. 3. He is also the only player outside the Big 4 to have five ATP Masters 1000 titles. But his 2022 campaign so far has been less than impressive.

In the 4th round of the Australian Open, he lost in straight sets to Denis Shapovalov, in a match where experts like Boris Becker thought he stopped trying. In the post-match conference, he said that there were no positive takeaways from his game that day.

Dive deeper: “You Still Have to Make an Effort”: Boris Becker Disappointed With Alexander Zverev’s Loss at Australian Open 2022

After the Australian Open, the 24-year-old took part in the Open Sud de France, in Montpellier. While he did reach the final, he lost in straight sets to Alexander Bublik, failing to convert the match into what would have been his 20th tour-level title.

British former tennis pro Greg Rusedski, in a recent interview, talked about Alexander Zverev and how he has been underperforming at the Grand Slam, despite possessing all the necessary skills to defeat the best players in the world. While he has won quite a few titles against the top players to prove his merit, his performances at Grand Slams haven’t been up to the mark.

Greg Rusedski talks about how Alexander Zverev falters in the Grand Slams

He spoke about how, as a junior player on the circuit, he was being considered the next big thing, and even though he has consistently won titles and important matches, he hasn’t truly performed as per his potential.

“He can’t get it done, but he is getting better… We got to give Denis credit for knocking him out, but let’s see how he bounces back on the clay. US Open is probably his best shot at winning a title and we always think of things because he was the chosen guy,” Rusedski said in the interview.

“When he was 18, 19, he’s going to be a number one player, no question. He’s got too much game. Medvedev shown up, Tsitsipas, Alcaraz, now it gets more difficult every year,” Rusedski said.

He was one of the youngest players to win a Challenger title, at 17. He won 2 ATP titles, while he was still a teenager, and at 20 was the youngest player since Novak Djokovic to enter the Top 20.

After his loss at Montpellier, his next scheduled tournament is in Acapulco. Only time will tell if Alexander Zverev manages to find his mojo back in time for the clay season or not.

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