Things have not been the same for Alexander Zverev since he had to withdraw from last year’s French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal with an ankle injury. His ranking has plummeted and he is no longer a Top 10 player now. It can be attributed to sheer bad luck, as the 26-year-old German was hitting the ball with prodigious lower on that day, thereby giving the legendary Spaniard a run for his money.
Since then, the 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist has failed to make a deep run in any of tournaments he has appeared in.
Signs of improvement for Alexander Zverev in Madrid:
However, things have been looking up at his favorite tournament in Madrid. The two-time champion has reached the fourth round, absolutely dismantling Hugo Grenier of France in the process. The big German actually made a statement by losing only one game against Grenier.
He moved extremely well, winning a lot of points from the forecourt. Zverev also served and returned quite well, and his down-the-line forehand won him a lot of points. Not to mention that his usually reliable backhand was firing as well.
A big test awaits him against Alcaraz:
However, the match against Alcaraz, the top seed, is not going to be nearly as easy. The 19-year-old Spaniard has won 17 matches on the trot on home soil and will be the favorite to win the 18th.
Zverev will have to be prepared to come to the net frequently against Alcaraz, who will test him with his famous drop shots. Alcaraz has improved his serve as well, and Zverev will have to return well, too. The German, however, will hope to have as much baseline exchanges as possible, as Alcaraz’s net-skills are better than his.
Should Zverev be able to overcome the big obstacle on Tuesday, there is no reason why he cannot win his third Madrid Open title.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
