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Alexander Zverev was pretty much on a roll in the ATP rankings 12 months ago, playing some of the best tennis of his career, but he’s had a run of bad luck and is now struggling to find his form and is in danger of losing his way.
The German finished second to Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open in May 2022 and reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open. He then turned the tables on Alcaraz at the French Open when he defeated the Spaniard in the quarterfinals.
His season ended prematurely when he suffered an ankle injury in his semi-final match against Nadal at Roland Garros. He required surgery when he swung on a hard court in North America and was initially hopeful of a return to action, but the injury was more severe than originally expected.
He only returned at the start of the 2023 season, but it was a real battle with his best display in Dubai in February, which saw him progress to the semi-finals. last week He lost to Alcaraz 6-1, 6-2 In the round of 16 in Madrid and dropped to number 22.
Former German No. 1 Tommy Haas fears Zverev will slip further down the rankings if he doesn’t turn things around quickly.
«Zverev has had a lot of ups and downs for a long time, which is very common after a long injury. But at some point he has to flip the switch,» he said. Sports image. «He has to defend points for the next three or four weeks. Otherwise he will fall out of the 30, 40 or 50 in the world. Then strong opponents will threaten at the beginning of the tournament. This situation is new for him.
He added: «If he’s on top, he’s feeling good and he’s confident, there are only four or five players in the world who can beat him.»
The 26-year-old still has high hopes of winning a Grand Slam, but Haas warns that «the competition never sleeps» with the likes of Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune – to name a few players. He moved in front of him.
«It’s getting harder and harder for him to win his last major career goal – a Grand Slam,» he said.
«The next star is here in Alcaraz. And still Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Rune, [Jannik] sinner, [Lorenzo] Musetti. The Americans will come along [Taylor] Fritz, [Tommy] Paul and [Frances] Tiafoe. The race never sleeps.”
Read more: Alexander Zverev-Daniel Medvedev spat ‘getting spicy’, but former world No 1 hopes they can clear the air.
