via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 23, 2022. Germany’s Alexander Zverev reacts during his fourth-round match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 23, 2022. Germany’s Alexander Zverev reacts during his fourth-round match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
World no.3 Alexander Zverev was ousted from the 2022 Australian Open by Canadian Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. The German looked discouraged throughout the match as he failed to bring out his A-game against Denis in crucial moments. Shapovalov, on the other hand, also had struggles on serve with 10 double-faults but compensated it with his aggressive baseline game to defeat the German.
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Alexander Zverev opens up on breaking his racquet during match against Denis Shapovalov
Owing to the dominance coming from his opponent, Zverev at one point broke racquet on-court. It was not the first time that the German was seen doing the same on a tennis court. In the post-match presser after the defeat, Zverev took responsibility for his demeanor on-court today.
“It’s no one else’s fault. It’s not the coach’s fault, it’s not my team’s fault, it’s no one else’s fault. It’s purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibilities for the things I do and don’t do.”
#Zverev: "It's no one else's fault. It's not the coach's fault, it's not my team's fault, it's no one else's fault. It's purely me. At the end of the day, as the world No. 3, I have to take responsibilities for the things I do and don't do".#AO2022 pic.twitter.com/Vv64sA51RK
— Lorenzo Ercoli (@Ladal17) January 23, 2022
By the end of second set, Zverev looked out of focus and failed to put pressure on Shapovalov in the third set. The German’s forehand misfired big time today as it gave Shapovalov loads of free points. Zverev, who has been consistent in Grand Slams since last year, didn’t get off to a great start to his 2022 campaign.
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Zverev is yet to defeat a top-10 player in Grand Slams
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It’s also important to remember that the German’s slam record wasn’t exquisite to begin with. He is yet to register a top-10 victory in slams. Zverev lost to top-10 players for a total of 11 times in majors so far. Even his victories over top-20 players at slam aren’t great.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 19, 2022 Germany’s Alexander Zverev in action during his second round match against Australia’s John Millman REUTERS/James Gourley
Out of the 19 times Zverev faced a top-20 player in a major, he only managed to clinch four wins. While it’s true that Sascha performs exceedingly well at tournaments besides slams, his Grand Slam performance needs to see an improvement for him to sustain his no.3 ranking this year.
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The reason for Sascha Zverev’s poor Grand Slam record could be the pressure of expectations. Since long, he is touted to become a major champion and that hasn’t happened yet. Will Alexander Zverev fulfill his Grand Slam dream this year?
