Alexander Zverev in Turin: Fitter than the rest – despite lung problems

Only the cleaning operation was still working in the stands of the Inalpi Arena in Turin, which had long since emptied at around 11 p.m. – and there was still intense tennis to be seen. When the last spectators left their seats after the evening session, Alexander Zverev returned to the center court. He had on a fresh training outfit, his team gathered around him, occasionally he picked up fresh rackets – and smashed powerful forehands and backhands across the court for almost half an hour as if he hadn’t played any sport that evening.

Zverev does this often, training after matches if he didn’t like something in his game. He is now fit enough again for such additional units. Carlos Alcaraz coughed and sniffed his way to an opening defeat at the ATP Finals against Casper Ruud on Monday, Daniil Medvedev reported his excessive mental fatigue. Zverev almost seemed like a relaxed counterpart, even if he has his own story of suffering, which we will talk about later.

The world number two won his opening game on Monday evening against Andrej Rublew 6:4, 6:4; it was a dominant game in which Zverev didn’t give up control for a moment. “I think today was a very good match, but it was a very fast match,” Zverev said. However, this “very fast tennis” resulted in little rhythm for him as a player, which is why he decided to train at short notice after the match: “We don’t really have much time on the center court here, so I still wanted to hit a few balls. “

In Turin the time on the main field is indeed short, training is usually carried out in a neighboring hall where the conditions are slightly different. However, a counterargument to the topic of extra training: Zverev has never spent as much time on the pitch in his career as he did this season.

Zverev receives congratulations on the pitch in Turin

He received congratulations on his 67th victory this year during the on-court interview, which, purely statistically speaking, is by far the best value that Zverev has achieved in his career. Even world number one Jannik Sinner has won one less game this year, but he only has an incredible six defeats on his record. The contrast to Zverev’s 20 defeats explains why Sinner is still ahead in the world rankings. And why the seasonal balances are different.

“He has won two Grand Slam titles, he is the best player in the world,” said Zverev about Sinner – but then also remembered his own successes: “The number (67) is worth something because it gives you a feeling for having played a solid season.” The Masters titles in Rome and last week in Paris were “beautiful”, but looking back there were three big defeats that remained in mind: “The Roland Garros final, the fall at Wimbledon, that Semi-final exit against Medvedev in Australia – that stays in your head more than a number.”

At three of the four Grand Slams this year, the 27-year-old said he had the feeling that he was really close to his long-awaited first title. He narrowly failed three times: in Australia it was five sets against Medvedev, in Paris five sets against Alcaraz and in London five sets against Taylor Fritz, in which Zverev was eliminated in the semifinals, final and quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, the results were also clouded by a knee injury from the previous match, which caught him in “very good form” and limited him – as did pneumonia in the autumn.

Zverev spoke in detail in Turin about his illness in September: “I ended up in the hospital before the Laver Cup when I had a fever of 40 degrees for three days in a row and then at some point I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore,” he said. A CT scan revealed that “25 percent of my lungs are not functioning.” Nevertheless, he only missed the tournament in Beijing, only to return shortly afterwards in Shanghai, travel to Vienna and finally win in Paris. The lungs coped well with the travel: “I might still get tired a little quicker,” said Zverev: “But I feel okay. “But that doesn’t mean that my lungs are at 100 percent, but I actually feel fit again now.”

Ironically, at the end of the year in Turin, Zverev looks fitter and in better shape than most of his competitors, and he and Sinner are the clear favorites to win the tournament. A German-Italian duel in singles could take place on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the outcome of the group phase. In doubles, a country comparison has already been determined: On Wednesday, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz will meet the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The Germans won their first game against first-seeded Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo on Monday 6:3, 6:4.

In the second game of the group stage, Zverev will face the Norwegian Ruud, who is also a representative of the group that traveled to Turin after a long season with a lack of form: Ruud didn’t give the ailing Alcaraz a chance, but otherwise he has only had one since the end of August won two matches.