Alexander Zverev recalls conversation he had with Novak Djokovic that helped him deal with difficult time
Alexander Zverev received a walkover from Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open after the Serb suffered a muscle tear.
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Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev (Images via X)
Alexander Zverev will be playing his third Grand Slam final of his career on Sunday (January 26) against World No.1 Jannik Sinner. Zverev is into the final without much effort in the semifinal because of Novak Djokovic‘s unfortunate injury retirement.
After the match, Zverev recalled the conversation he had with Djokovic during the 2024 Shanghai Masters, during which Zverev had asked him how he manages himself when he goes through a difficult time.
Zverev was disappointed after the French Open of the same year. He was in the final but was defeated in five sets by Carlos Alcaraz.
Following the defeat, Zverev was not winning tournaments anymore and said that he came to the US Open thinking he had a chance of winning it, but he lost to eventual finalist Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals.
Very, very badly, from my point of view. I asked Novak how he had managed his difficult period, around 2016 and 2017, and how he had been able to return to the highest level. He’s someone who has always been available and open to me. We had this long discussion, we trained a lot together. He shared his experience with me.
Alexander Zverev said at the press conference
At the Shanghai Masters, while Djokovic made it to the final and was defeated by Sinner in straight sets, Zverev was knocked out of the fourth round he played against David Goffin. But after playing in the quarterfinals of the Vienna Open, he won the Paris Masters, his second ATP win of the season, with an easy win over Ugo Humbert.
Alexander Zverev talks about Novak Djokovic’s injury
Novak Djokovic was struggling during the quarterfinal match he played against Carlos Alcaraz, but at that time, the severity of the injury was not known and it was considered a minor niggle. And so when he retired from the semifinal match, the tennis world, including Alexander Zverev, did not anticipate it.
I mean, after the first set, he knew that to beat me, he would have to fight for at least three more hours. And it’s very complicated with a muscle tear or injury to be able to continue playing at high intensity because it doesn’t get better. And in the worst-case scenario, it gets worse.
Alexander Zverev said at the press conference
Djokovic, after his Australian Open exit, expressed his wish to see Sascha become a Grand Slam champion. Other than the 2024 French Open, Zverev came close to lifting his first major at the 2020 US Open when he reached the final but was defeated by Dominic Thiem.
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Gouri Das
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