Alexander Zverev may be the new world number 1 in two weeks, but for now he is in the second round of the Australian Open and that is the main thing. The German, strong man at the end of the season, did he feel on his shoulders the greater pressure born of the expulsion of Novak Djokovic from the table and the country? In any case, he struggled to free himself against his compatriot Daniel Altmaier.
Concentration swings and moments of nonchalance
Of course, there was a high-flying second set. Because when he played at his best level, at his own pace, he was truly the boss on the court. Altmaier clearly wasn’t keeping up with the pace and didn’t seem able to upset the third-placed player in the world. Except that the latter had a few lapses in concentration, moments of nonchalance, which made the match more complicated than expected (4 break points converted out of 18). Especially in the third set, when he conceded the break against the run of play.
But Zverev, well helped by his service (14 aces, 88% of points behind his first ball), was able to tighten the game when it was important, starting with the two tie-breaks he had to play. In the end, he qualified in three sets and that’s the main thing. Here he is launched in his tournament. He will face Australian John Millman (89th in the world) in the next round.
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