2024-09-04 14:24:27
At the US Open, Alexander Zverev once again had a great chance to win his first Grand Slam title. Once again, he missed it. Because he was missing something crucial.
The path was paved: After the early elimination of top players Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev had a comparatively easy path to the final at the US Open. In half of his tournament tree, the number four in the world rankings was the highest seeded remaining player and accordingly – at least nominally – the favorite in every round.
But in the quarterfinals against the American Taylor Fritz, Zverev had to admit defeat in four sets (read more about the match here). The dream of the first Grand Slam title has been shattered again.
At 27, the clock is now ticking for Zverev. If he wants to achieve the big triumph, he has to question everything.
It is not the first time that Zverev has missed the big chance to win his first title at one of the four major tournaments. At both the US Open 2020 and the French Open this year, Zverev took a set lead in the final. However, he lost his nerve twice, squandered his lead by being too passive and ultimately had to admit defeat.
The main reason for this is his recurring, inexplicable passivity on the court. The German actually has everything a top player needs. It is not for nothing that he has won all the prestigious titles outside of the Grand Slam stage, including the ATP finals, several Masters titles and even gold at the Olympic Games. Serve, footwork, groundstrokes, fitness – basically everything is there.
But too often Zverev simply doesn’t bring his horsepower onto the court at the top tournaments. His quarter-final exit at the US Open against Fritz was just another example of this.
He explained it to himself by saying that he had no feeling in his racket. While this explains his lack of aggression on the court, it does not excuse it.
Because every tennis professional, including Grand Slam champions, has days like this when they are not at their best. But what sets them apart from simply good players is their ability to pull themselves out of the hole and still win.
Zverev has failed to do so again. Another Grand Slam season ends for him without a title – and that in a year in which he says he is playing “the best tennis of my life”.
He knows that time is running out for him. At 27, he is far from the autumn of his career. But in the past 25 years, only two players – the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka and the Croatian Goran Ivanišević – won their first Grand Slam title at an older age.
The next generation is already showing him how it’s done: Jannik Sinner has already won a Grand Slam at the age of 23 and reached the top of the world rankings. Carlos Alcaraz is already a four-time major winner at just 21 years old.
It is high time that Zverev made some fundamental changes. This includes replacing or at least supplementing his current team, which includes his father and coach Alexander Zverev Senior and his brother Mischa. Although both have achieved respectable success as tennis professionals, they have not won any Grand Slams.
Boris Becker could help. He knows how to win Grand Slam titles as a player and as a coach. Becker had a significant influence on the career of Novak Djokovic, the most successful player in tennis history. And Becker did not rule out a future collaboration with Zverev.
Most recently, the six-time Grand Slam title holder was even a guest on the Zverev brothers’ podcast. There, Zverev spoke self-critically about not being aggressive enough in the Grand Slams. Becker recalled how he had helped Djokovic to play more aggressively. It is almost surprising that the two did not decide to work together right then and there. In the end, however, Becker at least made Zverev an offer: a detailed conversation about his tennis game and how it can be improved.
Zverev should accept the offer. Otherwise the Grand Slam dream will remain a dream forever.