Australian Open comeback: Alexander Zverev – hard work against doubt

In 2022, he surprisingly left early as a heavy favourite. This year the predictions of Alexander Zverev are among the Australian Open Championship Much less in Melbourne after a long injury break. Focus before starting is hard work.

Rafael Nadal is a good guide, perhaps the best, in the entire world of sports when it comes to the right attitude towards action. Where the Mallorcans are on the outskirts Grand Slam– Train in tournaments, sweat doesn’t just drip, it flows in streams. And the intensity of the training sessions is second to none.

So it makes sense that Zverev, after more than seven months injury-free at the Australian Open facility, also worked with the Spaniard to fine-tune the year’s best tennis event. On Saturday (01/14/2023), Zverev finished the second meeting with Nadal on the third largest court in the facility since his arrival in Australia. On the hottest day of the week yet, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees, both work the afternoon sun out of it all. After intense walks and training, the focus, under Nadal coach Carlos Moya and his compatriot Sergi Bruguera, who returned to the German national team alongside Zverev’s father after injury, was on returning and serving repeats. The latter remains one of the major sports building sites for Germany’s top tennis player and is one of the reasons why no one really expects anything from Zverev these days.

Zverev’s Injury: A Paris Drama

It’s been more than seven months since Zverev fought at eye level with Nadal himself in the semifinals of the tournament French Open Championship He tore three ligaments in his right ankle. In a split second, not only the long-awaited dream of the first Grand Slam title exploded. Even worse: back in September when Davis Cup In Hamburg prevented bone edema. Now, after four months on the other side of the world, Zverev says: “I probably did a lot in that time to come back and get a new injury.”

A revamp of form at Monte Carlo was followed by promising sporting appearances at the politically controversial show sports event in Saudi Arabia – he even beat Novak Djokovic in Dubai. Under the tension of the appropriate rounds followed rounds United Cup In Sydney, however, two clear defeats.

Pain-free Zverev: ‘Form only comes with a little more time’

Zverev is confident these days in Melbourne that he is already moving at a higher level than he was in the Olympic city in 2000. The most important thing: Zverev is pain free “Down Under”. “My feet are fine, I’m healthy. My form isn’t where I want to be yet. But that only comes with more time on the pitch,” said the 25-year-old in an interview with the sports programme. “It’s good to be back – to be honest. Of course I missed the Tour. Of course I want to be back on the court and train and play with these guys. That’s something you miss as an athlete.”

There was a lot of interest in the return on the official media day. TV stations were only allowed to ask three quick questions on the beautiful media balcony in Rod Laver Arena Place. At the official press conference, Zverev had previously stated in more detail that his punches were very good at the beginning of his comeback attempts.

Zverev: “The pace is completely different again”

“But it’s completely different when you play with the guys here again. The tempo is completely different. You don’t really realize that if you were always there all the time before, how quickly it actually happened on the field.”

Zverev has trained up to three or four times a day this week in the form of the past few days with established faces such as Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Daniel Altmaier and Nadal. Good stages and world-class shots alternate with hasty actions and minor mistakes. There were signs of slight improvement in the transmission. As his father watches more, Bruguera steps in almost every minute. The winner of the French Open in 1994 and 1995 mainly corrected the return and serve movements.

Coleman promotes patience

What Zverev still lacks for the former top-5 status is matches and the certainty that those things that worked best in units can also be called upon in a match. “After such a long break, some things always don’t work under the pressure of matches,” he said. Davis Cup captain Michael Coleman explained to the Melbourne sports show. Zverev always makes a positive impression in the cabin. “He’s always been a player who moves very well. He needs safety when approaching and slipping.”Like Zverev himself, he’s also asking for patience, Coleman said.

Zverev no longer thinks about the injury every day. “My thoughts are around what I can improve and how to get back in shape, and what else I can train for.” It is definitely not in the Paris picture. “In Paris I could have won the French Open if I could have been number one. But that doesn’t mean I can’t change that, that it changes after a few matches and that I feel good.”Zverev explained, who met Juan Pablo Farias in the first round with Juan Pablo Farias in the first round, who met the Peruvian qualifier and clay-court expert – which is possible even in Zverev’s case.