Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev have been playing against each other on the ATP tour for some time. Now Federer sends some advice to the German.
The world’s number five isn’t really doing so well. Now, after a messed up start to the season, Alexander Zverev gets advice from the best player of all time.
Roger Federer gave some advice to his 16 years younger competitors in an interview with tennis magazine.
Expectations of the 20-year-old German are extremely high after a super season in 2017, and Zverev seems to be under pressure to succeed on the pitch. The current number one in the world commented: “I have the feeling that he is setting himself too high goals. He goes into the tournament and thinks:’I should perhaps win a Grand Slam after winning in Rome and Montreal’. That’s a normal and logical way of thinking, but if you’re already busy with the final, if you’re standing in the second round and you’re behind with breakball, then that’s a burden.”
In fact, the seven-time title winner has seemed restrained in his matches since his great successes last year. After his retirement at the Australian Open, Zverev commented on his third round defeat that it was certainly not his physical condition, but a mental problem.
In twelve games since the beginning of the year, Zverev have suffered four defeats, including painful ones, as in the first round of the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells against the poorly positioned Joao Sousa. In the Davis Cup, however, the 20-year-old delivered a clean performance against Nick Kyrgios and a big fight against Alex de Minaur, leading Germany into the next round.
I had the same problem at the beginning of my career. In Wimbledon and Paris I lost in three sets in the first round. That went on until I realized that I had to concentrate sentence by sentence, game by game and point by point,” Federer explained on the subject and encouraged Zverev. At the beginning of his unprecedented career, Federer also had problems, seemed to ride on the court and often threw the bat. You can dream, but you can’t be mentally at a point that hasn’t happened yet,” Federer continued.
However, Zverev should not go mad and continue to believe in his strengths, said the 20-time major winner.
On the contrary. Federer finds praising words for the arts of the fifth in the world rankings: “Sascha will find out, because he is too good and intelligent a player not to draw this conclusion. He has to find a different mental approach and question himself. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem in the longer term.”
Federer’s assessment was intended to encourage Zverev, as the Swiss player was able to assess the playing strength of his young rivals for himself. In the Montreal finale Zverev Federer gave no chance and took his second Masters title in two sets.
Well, everything’s fine in camp Zverev. Good thing takes time.