The brain doesn’t forget that quickly, especially negative impressions. And of course Alexander Zverev is haunted by the scenes in his head.
How Boris Becker stared at him in disbelief when he thrashed his club seven times on the hard court as if out of his mind. Scenes like from a backyard in a lousy residential area.
The German top player had reached a low point at the ATP Cup a year ago with boisterous behavior and devastating performances. And yet: in retrospect, it should mark an important turning point.
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“It can’t be much worse than last year,” the 23-year-old says before the start of the second edition of the team competition: “I just hope that I can perform better for myself and my team.” And that the group stage will not end again (calendar of the 2021 ATP season).
Zverev: Turbulent year with US Open finals
As a reminder: Zverev had to take harsh criticism in early 2020 after three sometimes devastating defeats, Becker saw the hamburger “trapped in a dark room”. (ATP: current men’s tennis world rankings)
But the clear words apparently arrived, the highly talented man has since managed to keep calm in tricky game situations. At least with the racket in hand.
This was followed by a semi-final at the Australian Open and the final thriller at the US Open, which was just lost to Dominic Thiem. “I want to start again”, explains Zverev now.
Overall, Zverev still has a turbulent year with many headlines away from the center courts: Among other things, there was participation in Novak Djokovic’s controversial Adria Tour and a party visit in Monaco as well as an even greater fuss about allegations of domestic violence by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova.
In addition, there was the legal dispute with his ex-manager Patricio Apey, on top of that the separation from coach David Ferrer after only half a year and, last but not least, the end of the collaboration with the management agency TEAM8, which was co-founded by the Swiss superstar Roger Federer, which is why Zverev is now back relies fully on the family factor.
Zverev: Coach separation and a lot of fuss
Nevertheless, there are many indications that the Australian audience will not see “Alexander the Bad” again at the start of the season.
Zverev not only has his brother Mischa close by his side as a team boss. After the end of the collaboration with the Team8 agency, the 33-year-old also takes on management tasks for the younger ones and is an important contact and training partner.