Young Alexander Zverev had already had three cracks at Rafael Nadal and the first one last year at Indian Wells he had a match point but botched it with a netted forehand volley. We all thought Zverev would fix the issues and take down the supposedly fading Nadal in their next encounter. Not so fast kid. In Australia this year Nadal survived an incredible fight by Zverev and prevailed in five brutal sets. Another heartbreak for young Zverev. We all wondered again: If Zverev had just converted that darn volley in Indian Wells he probably would have had the belief and bravado to have won against Rafa in Australia.
It would only get worse for young Zverev. Nadal absolutely annihilated Alexander last week on clay in Monte Carlo 61 61. It was such a disastrous result that Zverev changed his schedule and plans and wildcarded his way this week in Barcelona. Zverev even publicly expressed the reasoning for this decision: I WANT REVENGE ON NADAL. Zverev was on his way to avenging Nadal but one match before the fourth showdown with Rafa Zverev got clobbered by Hyeon Chung 61 64. It was a devastating loss for Zverev who shattered his Head racquet after the dreadful double fault on the final point. Clearly the three losses by Zverev to Nadal have taken a serious toll on the 20 year old’s psyche, and such losses can alter a young player’s career. The not so pretty truth is that great players like Nadal and Federer and Djokovic and Andy and Wawrinka are career destroyers. Their incredible success is at the expense of the rest of the ATP players including the types like Zverev and Raonic and Nishikori and Grigor. While Zverev is still very young and eager it’s possible that these three heartbreaking losses to Nadal have inflicted irreparable damage. It is possible that the once strong belief of Zverev won’t fully recover, like Pancho Segura said Vince Spadea’s loss to Chang at US Open after serving for the match basically wrecked his career. I’ll tell you something: The next several weeks are suddenly a very important stage in Zverev’s career. He has absolutely got to do anything and everything possible to erase the heartbreak of these losses to Nadal and the only way to do it is
quite obvious. Zverev has to get his hands on Nadal on a tennis court very very soon and overcome his Rafa demons – before it’s too late.
Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
Tennis-Prose.com
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1 2 Next »Chazz · April 28, 2017 at 9:24 am
I just don’t see how he could let losing to one of the all time greats wear on him that much. It sucks to lose heartbreakers like that but I would think a decisive loss to a NextGen peer like Chung would wear on him more. Also his inability to beat Kyrgios, another peer, has to hurt too. I guess we will find out where he is mentally as we get closer to the French.
Andrew Miller · April 28, 2017 at 10:38 am
The guy keeps improving. But I’d caution him on seizing the throne without taking his early matches seriously. Raonic stumbled on this way last year by talking and writing so openly about his desire to crack open the big four and what one, two days after his piece Harrison took him out convincingly at the us open. And he should remember that the feeling is always mutual with the big four and any opponent: You may want to beat them, but they are looking forward to destroying you. Federer lives for those matches. Nadal too.
Scoop Malinowski · April 28, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Losing to Chung is a signifucant stumble backwards. Now everyone believes they too can Chung Zverev. Zverev has to earn back lost respect and aura. He put it out there publicly he was hunting Nadal and it blew up in his face. Zverev slipped on a banana peel on the way to the bull ring for Rafa. Humiliating setback. Hopefully this will spark something in Zverev. We’re gonna learn something important about Zverev these next five six months.
Andrew Miller · April 28, 2017 at 8:03 pm
Scoop why so down on Chung? I don’t think Zverev was knocked too far off course. Chung is mercurial and he either plays amazing or awful. He started off brilliantly against Djokovic last year and fell back to earth, getting beaten silly after his first set at the Australian in 2016.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 7:01 am
Chung is good and “always has been good” said Reilly Opelka to me a couple yrs ago when I asked who this Chung was. I saw Chung bagel Granollers in miami two yrs ago. But Zverev is way ahead of Chung now and shouldve won. I wonder what their junior head to head was?
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 7:10 am
Sascha is still very young and, like most youngsters, is not going to be super consistent at this stage of his career. I don’t think these losses will destroy him. Both Jez Green and his brother Mischa say that Sascha’s attitude is that he wants to get better every day. With that mindset I think he will simply get back to work.
Jg · April 29, 2017 at 10:48 am
Wasn’t this Zaballos just in the Sarasota Challenger last week, now playing Nadal in Semies in Barcelona?
catherine bell · April 29, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Shrapova out in Stuttgart. That’ll keep the dressing-room quiet.
But not bad after 15 mths off the circuit.
Mladenovic could win the whole thing. So maybe Angie was a bit unlucky to meet her first match in the week.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 1:08 pm
I just posted about Mladenovic’s on another thread here. She let her racquet do the talking today.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 1:11 pm
And Dominic Thiem beat Andy Murray in a close match today. Andy was having trouble with his serve and commies were speculating that his elbow was bothering him. If the youngster brings his best game tomorrow it could be an exciting final against Rafa.
catherine bell · April 29, 2017 at 1:23 pm
And oh dear, Simona hasn’t started well.
Bryan · April 29, 2017 at 1:56 pm
I wouldn’t say Nadal shattered Zverev but he’s on a mini downspin and his confidence appears shaken at the moment. That loss to Chung was terrible.
That said, Zverev is still just 20 and will go through the usual ups and downs of young players. He’ll get his mojo back before Roland Garros.
Bryan · April 29, 2017 at 1:58 pm
“Wasn’t this Zaballos just in the Sarasota Challenger last week, now playing Nadal in Semies in Barcelona?”
Yes. Nadal had the easiest draw to a 500 finals I can recall. Every single opponent was a punching bag. Given this is Barcelona, which named a stadium after him, it makes you question the ‘random’ draws, again.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Hartt; Yes he does and he is doing everything right but losses can destroy a player. These three losses to Nadal were all heartbreakers in different ways. The confident player can become fragile after such losses. Though Zverev looks like a lock to achieve greatness there are no guarantees. Ask Dimitrov and Caro Garcia who Andy Murray said looks like a future No. 1. Ask Marcelo Rios. Ask Coria. There are no guarantees. Young players can get destroyed. Losing to Chung in a near rout was an alarming loss for Zverev. Let’s see what happens in the following weeks. Hopefully the results of the last two tournaments will light a fire in Zverev and spark a big breakout.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 2:05 pm
Yes Zeballos lost in the quarters of Sarasota to Melzer because he retired the match after he beat Kozlov 61 76.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Mladenovic brings the fire and she doesn’t defer to anyone. Not surprised at all Mladenovic won today. She is a big player with a big strong personality. Very good win for her.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 2:19 pm
I think Sascha is more of a natural on hard court. He spends a lot of time practicing in Florida; maybe he needs to put in more work on the red clay.
Yes, it is true that other promising players have not had great careers. Anything can happen, including a career-ending injury. Sascha has only to look at what happened to Mischa when a series of injuries and wrist surgery put him outside the top 1000. But I don’t think that a couple tough losses now will destroy him. He seems very professional for such a young player and he has terrific support from his family. They are looking at his career long-term, not just at current results. You can see that when he ended his season early last year to put in extra work improving his fitness, etc.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Siegemund just won over Halep in the Stuttgart SF. Andrew would appreciate the way she is not allergic to the net. Have no idea who will win this tourney, Siegemund or Mladenovic, but it could be an entertaining match.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 3:01 pm
Yes Hartt but a 6161 trouncing to Nadal could create cracks in the foundation. Zverev is good on clay. If he was not confident on clay he would not have wildcarded into Barcelona to get his hands on Rafa. So I’m not buying the ‘well it’s red clay-excuse.’ How about Gulbis retirng in Estoril qualies first round to Joao Domingues 16 ret. Gulbis could be finished. It all started with those heartbreaking losses to Thiem and Kokkinakis two years ago. Like I said, certain losses can be career destroyers.
catherine bell · April 29, 2017 at 3:15 pm
Siegemund is entitled – she’ll be out to win again for Germany but M might have the edge.
Sorry for Simona but she’s had a decent week or so with Fed Cup etc.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 4:39 pm
I don’t know what happened to cause Gulbis’ big slide, but he was not a consistent player to begin with. I don’t think there is a comparison between him and Sascha, and I still think Sascha has a real shot at making top 10 this season. If he does, it will be a big accomplishment for a player who just turned 20.
Hartt · April 29, 2017 at 4:54 pm
I think it is easy to forget just how well Sascha has done to date. Comparing his live ranking with his contemporaries (what the ATP likes to call the Next Gen) Sascha is at No. 20. The next player from his age groups is Khachanov, ranked No. 42 (a career high) and then Coric at No. 54. The highest ranked American youngsters are Donaldson at No. 78 and Tiafoe at No. 79. So Sascha is well ahead of his contemporaries.
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 7:54 pm
One slip up the mountain can cause a fall that takes you a long way down the slope ! Zverev fell down losing one and one to Rafa and we have to wait and see how far down he fell –
Scoop Malinowski · April 29, 2017 at 7:56 pm
Andrew you need to see this girl Siegemund play – She aint’ got the junior handbook –
Andrew Miller · April 29, 2017 at 10:36 pm
Siegemund has had a few great weeks. Plays well in front of a home crowd. Surprised Halep didn’t pull this one out. Maybe Halep isn’t tough when the going gets rough. She seems to check out a bit. Siegemund is fun to watch, does some interesting things out there.
catherine bell · April 30, 2017 at 3:03 am
I think with Simona she just has to wait for age and experience to harden her up. Like several players she may turn out to have two careers – the first when she was young and running around fearing nobody and winning against players who weren’t expecting her, and the second when she has matured and become tougher and just knows more about herself and the game she plays.
This could work out independently of whoever’s coaching her. When she gets down in a match no coach, on court or off, seems able to help her there.
Just time, belief in her talent, and good people around her.
Siegemund definitely comes into her own in Germany. She thrives on the buzz. Possibly Angie doesn’t any more ?
catherine bell · April 30, 2017 at 3:15 am
Scoop
Off topic – I’m not a boxing fan but couldn’t avoid the London fight last night. Did you follow ?
Really good feeling between the two at the end – compare and contrast to certain feelings around elsewhere this week 🙂
catherine bell · April 30, 2017 at 11:43 am
Siegemund brings it home for Germany !!
catherine bell · April 30, 2017 at 12:19 pm
All those big names in Stuttgart and who wins ? A WC ranked 49 in the world.
And Laura’s been a finalist/winner the last 3 years.
I think they put something in the Stuttgart water 🙂
Hartt · April 30, 2017 at 12:35 pm
Dominic Thiem played well in the first set against Rafa today in Barcelona; Rafa won 6-4. Then Thiem pretty well fell apart in the 2nd set, making a lot of UFEs. But as Thiem said in his runner-up speech, there is no shame in losing to the greatest clay court player of all time.
It seems only fitting that Rafa won the title in the inaugural tourney that featured Pista Rafa Nadal.
scoopmalinowski · April 30, 2017 at 5:33 pm
Catherine; Joshua ko Klitschko was one of the greatest fights Ive ever seen. Ot was Hearns vs Leonard, Foreman vs Lyle, Ali vs Frazier and Federer vs Nadal all rolled into one.
catherine bell · May 1, 2017 at 4:22 am
I’ve got a great idea – in Stuttgart Porsche had this competition for players parking cars to a time limit – I couldn’t work out the details but it looked fun. Angie didn’t win but she commented how the exercise’got my adrenaline going’.
So before each match maybe Angie should rush out to the car park, speed park her Porsche to trigger the adreneline rush and then nip back on court to take out her opponent before the effect wears off.
Nothing illegal there surely 🙂
Hartt · May 1, 2017 at 6:48 am
Scoop, because you enjoy conspiracy theories and Catherine, as a big fan of the WTA :), I think you both will be interested in an article on the tennis.life website, “WTA Tour expands deal with Porsche.” The piece describes the enhanced sponsorship deal where the “Road to Singapore” now becomes the “Porsche Race to Singapore.” The No. 1 player in the “Race” gets, you guessed it, a Porsche. The deal was announced on Sunday, just before the Stuttgart final, a tourney, of course, sponsored by Porsche. The conspiracy angle is how it was so convenient for the WTA to “tweak” its rule that a player must be available on the first day of a tournament to take part. Somehow, the first day for Stuttgart magically extended to Wednesday, allowing Sharapova to play.
Andrew, you will be glad to hear that Laura Siegemund plans to continue to play aggressive tennis. My stream switched to soccer before the end of the final (which reminds us of just where tennis falls in the sports pecking order). But I did see enough of the match, coupled with highlights, to be impressed by Siegemund’s variety. Also, so often she just could not miss. It will be interesting to see if she can continue to play at that high level.
catherine bell · May 1, 2017 at 8:03 am
Hartt –
I’m not actually a ‘fan’ of the WTA, I don’t think like that – I’m just interested in different players. I suppose I mention a few women more often than men partly because I feel the men get enough attention anyway and because I also feel, maybe wrongly, that I understand women better and their paths to success are often more complicated and there’s more to write about.
And as you know I’m sure, the WTA organization itself gives me a pain.
Porsche want to expand their presence in Asia so Singapore would be a prime deal for them. Angie did some promotion for them there last year.
On topic of Kerber and Stuttgart order of play, the fact that she did not play her first match there until Thurs evening did not do her any favours. I’m not sure why this happened.
The Sharapova issue should just be dead and buried now.
Siegemund and Kerber are the same age. They’ve been the backbone of German tennis for their entire careers although Angie’s been the more successful. But Laura plays better than her ranking – Simona should feel no disgrace in losing to her.
Hartt · May 1, 2017 at 9:23 am
Catherine, I was being sarcastic, knowing how you feel about the WTA organization – should have made it clearer that is what I meant. I agree that the organization can be a pain.
catherine bell · May 1, 2017 at 9:30 am
Hartt –
Oh yes – sarcasm accepted ! I see your point now.
I can believe anything of the WTA – and btw I didn’t hear much about OCC in Stuttgart – either no one used it that much or it wasn’t considered newsworthy or entertaining – ie cringeworthy 🙂
Hartt · May 1, 2017 at 11:11 am
I saw Kiki use it several times – her mother is her coach. Kiki seemed to be paying attention. Saw Laura use it a couple times, but they often go to commercial or I go away from the computer during changeovers, so there have been more times. Guess there was nothing noteworthy for either player.
Andrew Miller · May 1, 2017 at 2:38 pm
Scoop: US next Gen should look over their shoulders. Tracy Austin’s son, already an NCAA force, is coming for them.
Scoop Malinowski · May 1, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Andrew; i believe Austins son is Brandon Holt who plays at usc as a frosh. Holt had fair results in futures. Glad to hear you say hes picking it up. But he has a long way to catch up. Might now be ahead of the struggling Tommy Paul.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 8:57 am
Zverev, in mirror, sees Thiem. CURSES HIMSELF. just kidding but I thought all may appreciate given Thiem’s skill in falling short. Possibly second best Austrian since the mid 1990s. Which would characterize Mr. Sacha also. But to me Zverev brattiness is the key ingredient to a singles slam trophy holder.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 11:48 am
Scoop, as far as USA men’s tennis goes, the only things I believe in are peer pressure, fear of losing to younger USA men’s players, and Lloyd Carroll. If i were a coach I’d play a Lloyd Carroll podcast of him talking about the player as a journeyman every day.
I’d love to see the usa men’s next Gen up their game. I don’t think it happens without someone constantly lighting a fire under them, whether it’s Tommy Paul deciding to reassert himself or whether it’s a kid like Holt, fresh off of NCAA dominance at 19, going after them on the court. Look at the guys ahead of them like Sock, Johnson. Those guys rankings really improved out of fear of Fritz, Tiafoe, Donaldson sort of. So Donaldson etc will only get himself together if younger USA men start going after their spots in challengers.
Telling them eventually they will get it is a crock. It’s the pathway to disappointment and play my game ism. They need confidence and wins and momentum and improvement, and outside of getting more of all of that by signing up for more dubs, I don’t see it.
Kind of see the USA men’s next Gen as similar to most wta players. Well intentioned, but they need a spark from somewhere else to get them going. For USA men that usually comes from a younger peer going after them
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 11:50 am
One idea: Jim Courier can make a public statement and say he’d welcome a next Gen win in the euro clay season.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 1:23 pm
Happy just to be here – itis has taken over the tour. Too many players showing way too much deference to their elders. Scoop I’m afraid it is what you said- this is a lack of courage. The young guys are too much in awe of the old guys, who should be thinking about retirement like Agassi and Sampras did.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 1:26 pm
None own a masters title. They need Lloyd Carroll to tell then they are all journeymen, from Thiem to Raonic, even to Kyrgios, Zverev and Sock.
Chazz · May 2, 2017 at 5:13 pm
Thiem is a guy that can make a deep run and possibly win Roland Garros in a few weeks. He is an excellent clay court player. Unfortunately for him, Nadal is looking unstoppable so he will have to hope someone upsets Rafa.
Hartt · May 2, 2017 at 5:37 pm
I have thought for some time that Thiem had a shot at winning RG, but he did not seem to figure much in discussions about that tourney. As you said, the big roadblock for him (or anyone else) will be Rafa.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 7:08 pm
Connors wouldn’t have let the big four monopolize everything. I think Connors, McEnroe and the big four are much more mentally tough than Thiem is. Zverev still has some time to learn from Thiem’s mistakes. Today’s young players don’t have much knowledge of the shots that made past players successful. A huge backhand for example isn’t a strategy.
Maybe this is just more evidence of terrible coaching, where players maintain coaches because of familiarity and because the coaches carry their bags but not because of the quality of their advice or freedom to implement.
Andrew Miller · May 2, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Or maybe this shows how good Roddick was, given that he outright won a slam and put himself in position to win more. These guys like Thiem aren’t as good even as Fernando Gonzalez or Berdych or Tsonga, who at least have a slam final to their name.
I recognize that we’re talking about some pretty rare air here. That the tour is tougher than ever. That players best hope is maybe a Davis Cup title.
But I don’t buy the argument completely. For sure, if Thiem cant win one or put himself in a slam final that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the ability. But what if he’s more like Tommy Robredo, a very good player who cracked the top ten, rather than remotely at the level of the best players the sport has seen in a while? What if he tops out at this level because he’s no slam winner. Ever.
Chazz · May 2, 2017 at 7:34 pm
Yeah, those comparisons to current and past players might turn out to be true, but he has some golden opportunities in the coming years along with other under 25 top players to take advantage of the Big Four’s careers slowing down. He’s the youngest player in the top 10 by 3 years.
catherine bell · May 3, 2017 at 9:27 am
Hartt –
Who’s Dabrowski from Canada ? You’ve probably mentioned her before but I’ve forgotten. She was playing Schiavone just now.