Alexander Zverev 'tired' of fielding questions about post-injury form ahead of Monte-Carlo Masters
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Published 09/04/2024 at 09:05 GMT
Ahead of his first taste of clay-court action this season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Alexander Zverev was quick to shoot down suggestions that he isn’t the player he once was. He had a lengthy layoff in 2022 following surgery for an ankle injury sustained at Roland-Garros, but he has been back on the ATP Tour for well over a year and has fought his way back into the top 10.
Alcaraz downs Zverev in match including bee invasion - Indian Wells highlights
Alexander Zverev has climbed back to fifth in the ATP world rankings, and is on a strong run of form having made multiple semi-finals this year including at the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia. But despite regular strong tournament appearances, the German said he was "tired" of being asked about his form and how he compares to his previous self.
On the eve of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where Zverev plays Sebastian Ofner in the second round - having received a first-round bye – the German responded to the media, who wanted to know how he saw his form, and quite where he stood with regard to the players at the top of the men’s game.
"I'm tired of this question, to be honest,” he said. “Because I get this question so many times.
“I think winning these kinds of tournaments, that's when you're back at your best - but also at the same time, I'm number five in the world.
"So, to be honest, I don't think you're playing bad tennis when you're at number five in a world. So, I think, I'm on a good way. I'm getting to later stages of the big tournaments more consistently, I feel like, and that is what it is all about."
Zverev lost to Daniil Medvedev in the Australian open semi-finals, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters. Alcaraz was able to avenge that defeat in Indian Wells in the quarter-finals, before Zverev fell to a very in-form Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals in Miami.
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Alexander Zverev has lost some tight matches in 2024
Image credit: Getty Images
That’s not a bad return from the year so far for Zverev, although he hasn’t won a title since picking up the ATP 250 in Chengdu last September. His campaign last year yielded two titles in total, which isn’t too bad a return considering his lengthy injury layoff in 2022.
It’s that 2022 version of himself that he is being compared to, the Zverev of two years ago going toe-to-toe with an in-form Rafael Nadal on the clay courts in Paris, looking every inch a worthy opponent for the King of Clay before a horror ankle injury ended not just his match, but his season.
The problem for Zverev this year is that the men’s game is getting more competitive, not less. As well as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the rise of Jannik Sinner and the continued strong form of Alcaraz means just making the semi finals of tournaments is increasingly difficult. Daniil Medvedev remains a force at the top of the game too – although Zverev is a bigger fan of dirt courts than his long-term rival.
Fans will get a good insight into how Zverev’s clay-court season might pan out and what sort of a force he could be come Roland-Garros this week, when he takes to the court in Monaco.
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