Alexander Zverev ‘trials David Ferrer on coaching team’ – could opposites attract?

Ferrer, 38, retired last year with his final match a defeat to Zverev at the Madrid Open.

The Spaniard went on to be named the Barcelona Open director in September, and now Marca reports he is joining Zverev’s coaching team on an initial trial period of 15 days.

Ferrer is said to have headed to Monte Carlo, where Zverev – currently coached by his father – resides and trains.

Zverev, 23, is the current world number seven but has struggled to fulfil the early promise that suggested he could topple tennis’ ‘big three’, with Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas among the other Grand Slam hopefuls to have emerged and surpassed Zverev in the rankings.

The German has been coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero, but that partnership did not last a year after Zverev fired the former world number one in February 2018.

Ivan Lendl, Andy Murray’s former coach, joined Zverev’s team in August 2018, but they split a year later.

Ferrer was viewed as the consummate professional during his playing career. What the 5ft 9in Spaniard lacked in height, he made up for in fight and determination.

It was never enough to win a Grand Slam, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made sure of that, but Ferrer did reach the final of Roland Garros in 2013 – losing, of course, to Nadal.

Six Grand Slam semi-final appearances for Ferrer is five more than Zverev has managed to date.

Of course, Zverev has time to beat that tally, but the expectation is that he should really be going all the way and turning his evident talent into multiple majors.

His professionalism has been called into question on numerous occasions, so too his temperament in big tournaments, and after he was pictured partying last week when he should have been self-isolating after playing at the Adria Tour, perhaps Ferrer is the perfect person to assist Zverev ahead of the US Open on August 31.

In this instance, opposites could well attract.