“I’m a man of my word,” Alexander Zverev adamant on his Davis Cup boycott stand

Alexander Zverev

In men’s tennis, the Davis Cup is the most prestigious international team competition. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is held yearly in a knock-out style involving teams from competing countries. The organisers refer to it as the “World Cup of Tennis,” and the victors are known as the “World Champion team.”

The tournament was revived in 2019, transitioning from a year-long World Group stage with home and away matches to a week-long final in November.

Although was very well embraced, Alexander Zverev, along with a few others, opposed it from the outset, contending that the competition’s essence had been lost.

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He declined to play in the Davis Cup Finals for Team Germany because he does not believe it to be the “real Davis Cup.” Since the ITF changed the Davis Cup structure two years ago, Zverev has not competed for Germany in the competition. Despite the fact that the Davis Cup did not take place in 2020 owing to the COVID situation, it appears that his stance has not changed in the least.

“The format has to be changed and I’m sticking to that,” the 24-year-old Alexander Zverev told at a press conference on Saturday before the start of the ATP tournament in Vienna. “I am someone who keeps his word. I want to win the Davis Cup, but I want to win the real Davis Cup.”

Team Germany without Alexander Zverev

Meanwhile, Germany’s Davis Cup roster was revealed without the star’s name. Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer, and Peter Gojowczyk are on the singles squad, while Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, two-time Roland Garros champions, form the doubles pair.

On court, Zverev is currently competing at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. He has won his first round encounter comfortably and will lock horns against Alex de Minaur in the Round of 16.