“Five Million People Have an Opinion About You” – Alexander Zverev Speaks About Social Media Distractions

The German lad Alexander Zverev is one the favorites amongst the NextGen to make his breakthrough on a major stage. However, he has never been beyond the quarterfinals at Grand Slams.

Sascha reflected upon the youngsters of the 21st century failing to meet the standards of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. He mentioned social media to be one of the reasons behind the NextGen falling flat in the sport of tennis and unable to replace the ‘Big Three’.

“I think it’s different than it was 20 years ago. I think with the social media, I think with the mobile phones that we have, the pressure the media puts on us, other people put on us, we are more aware of it than 20 years ago,” Alexander Zverev said.

“To read what’s going on, to read the press, you (used to) have to buy a newspaper, go on the laptop and search for it. Now you open up Instagram, there are five million people that have an opinion about you all of a sudden. It’s maybe more difficult for us now,” Sascha added.

“That is a massive difference” – Alexander Zverev

The German ace Alexander Zverev is trying to abstain from social media as much as possible especially during Grand Slam tournaments. Social media does distract a person and eventually becomes a hindrance to achieving one’s goals.

Roger, Rafa, and Novak did not really grow up with cell phones and the social media buzz around their vicinity. They had a single-pointed concentration towards their objective. They still continue to follow the same practice and make significant differences in the sport. 

“On the other hand, with the guys like Novak, Rafa, and Roger, simply they’re better than us because they’re winning. Even though when people say they don’t care, they still read it. In the back of their mind, they’re aware of it. So I think that is a massive difference,” Zverev added.

The seventh seed at Australian Open 2020 Alexander Zverev will take on Fernando Verdasco in the third round. Earlier in Melbourne, the German had straight-sets victories over Marco Cecchinato and Egor Gerasimov.