German tennis ace Zverev believes in a strong clay court season. He wants to live up to his role as favorite in Munich – and also rehabilitate himself
Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev believes he is on the right track for the upcoming clay court tournaments, culminating in the French Open.
“I’m relatively sure that I’ll find my form,” announced the world number five in Munich. He will serve for the first time in the round of 16 at the BMW Open taking place there on Wednesday, his opponent will be the Austrian Jurij Rodionov.
Zverev, who turns 27 on Saturday, was recently knocked out of the Masters in Monte-Carlo in the round of 16 by the eventual tournament winner Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with his season debut on the clay. He explained that he always needed a little longer to adjust to the new surface after the first hard court phase of the year in Australia and the USA. “I always need a little more time. It’s always the case with me that I start to play well in weeks three and four. I hope it will be the same this year.”
At the BMW Open in Munich, he wants to win his third title after 2017 and 2018 and, above all, redeem himself for the past few years in which he was eliminated early. “I hope I can change that and play for the title again. This is a special tournament, I’ve had the most incredible emotions here,” said the Hamburg-born player, recalling that he hadn’t missed a tournament in the Bavarian capital since his debut in 2014.
