Alexander Zverev is getting going just in time for the hot phase at the Australian Open. He is favorite in the round of 16 against Cameron Norrie.
by Daniel Müksch
last edited: January 21, 2024, 12:29 p.m
Alexander Zverev slept in comfortably after his liberation and hit a few loose balls on the training pitch in the late afternoon. The Olympic champion seemed liberated after his confident entry into the round of 16 at the Australian Open; Zverev is approaching the hot tournament phase in Melbourne with fresh self-confidence on his title mission.
“The best players start to show their best tennis in the second week. From now on the tournament really starts,” said the Hamburger after the 6:2, 7:6 (7:4), 6:2 in the third round against the American Alex Michelsen, in which he showed by far his best tournament performance and was able to save energy for the upcoming task.
Now against the British Cameron Norrie
He now goes into his round of 16 on Monday (not before 6:00 a.m. CET/Eurosport) against Cameron Norrie with a big chest; against the Brit he has a flawless record of 8:0 sets in four games. Both know each other well and trained together in Monaco in December – but that is also why Zverev is warned about 22nd place in the world rankings.
“He worked on his game in the off-season and you can see it on the pitch now. The work is paying off for him,” said Zverev before the duel at Margaret Court Arena about Norrie, who is “in top form.” and had eliminated the three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud from Norway in the third round.
Nevertheless, Zverev is the clear favorite against the left-hander, who is in the round of 16 for the first time in Melbourne. Especially if he can build on his performance from the third round. Zverev played much more aggressively and more enthusiastically in the night session on Saturday, the performance was reminiscent of his strong performances at the start of the year in the United Cup.
Becker satisfied with Zverev’s development
“I like that he’s not too happy. It’s almost normal for him to get into the second week of a Grand Slam,” said Boris Becker as a TV expert at Eurosport: “That was his best match of the tournament . And he has every chance in the world against Norrie.”
If Zverev goes one more round, Carlos Alcaraz will probably have a big challenge waiting for him in the quarterfinals. He had already lost to the Spanish world number two in the quarterfinals of the US Open in the fall – but the German number one had the upper hand at the ATP Finals in November.
Here is the individual tableau in Melbourne
First of all, Zverev has to face Norrie, which he approaches with a new self-image: “I think I’m in the tournament now.”
2024-01-21 12:50:00
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