“I think I was quite limited,” Alexander Zverev feels his leg injury to be a major reason for his semifinal defeat against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo
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Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev played some top level tennis en route to the semifinals of the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters. But the big-serving German succumbed under pressure as he bowed out in the last four clash against defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. Zverev, the way he was playing looked like a prime contender to win the title but it was a battle between two great players of this new generation and Tsitsipas was just better on the day.
The loss ended the German’s dream of pushing for World No. 1 rank. The 24-year-old’s win in Monte Carlo would have changed several narratives and would have given him an outside chance to stake his claim at the summit. However, that dream has not materialized at least for now as he was beaten 6-4, 6-2 against the Greek who thrives on clay surfaces.
Zverev started off his campaign against Argentina’s Federico Delbonis and there also he looked a little off as he allowed the Argentine to take control of the game. But soon the Ger phased in and powered his way through by winning the second set and eventually that match. He gave some chances to Pablo Carreno Busta aswell but was once again quick to realise it and hence he went back into his element and wrapped up the game. His toughest match was against Jannik Sinner where he came back from a set down to win the last two to progress through to the semifinals. The German has kept a low profile since his Doubles incident with the match umpire back in Acapulco, Mexico.
Alexander Zverev bowed out of the semifinals at the Monte Carlo Masters against Stefanos Tsitsipas due to a leg injury
Zverev had a very gruelling quarterfinal against Jannik Sinner as the game went on for more than three hours as the German looked uncomfortable on the court. But he still managed to see off the youngster and progress to the semifinals. But against someone of Tsitsipas’ quality, Zverev could not hide his leg injury. The Greek connected some great slices and drop shots making the 24-year-old work hard to win points.
The World No.3 revealed how he was massively limited in his abilities in the semifinals clash as he shared how the match against Sinner took a lot of toll on him. “I think I was quite limited in what I did [in the match]. On Friday [in the quarter-finals against Jannik Sinner] I already had a bit of trouble on my serve because of my [injured] leg,” Alexander Zverev revealed after going down in the last four stage in Monte Carlo.
He also highlighted how Stefano Tsitsipas was miles better than him and absolutely deserved the win. The Greek now has a 3-0 record against Zverev on clay surfaces. “But Stefanos [Tsitsipas] played ten times better than me, so he deserved to win. Nothing else to say,” he added.
Despite the fact that he could not win the title, he was satisfied with his performance in Monaco. “Overall it was a positive week for me. I played some good matches here.”
Lastly, he was a bit emotional about how things have been majorly unfortunate for him this year. Starting with injury and health concerns ahead or during crucial matches has hampered his current season. He shared how he was ill in Miami and injured in Monte Carlo, so he feels things are happening without his control and it bothers him a little bit going forward. “In Miami I got ill. Here I injured myself a little. So I feel that things are happening a bit outside my control, which is a bit annoying for me,” Zverev concluded.
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Atrayo Bhattacharya
(193 Articles Published)