In the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev will meet Carlos Alcaraz – there are easier tasks. Where Alcaraz is, there is often a spectacle. His coach was also Zverev’s, and it ended badly.
In the end the protagonists speak, that’s how it is in tennis. It was the same on Monday (January 22, 2024) after Alexander Zverev defeated Briton Cameron Norrie in five sets in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. So there stood Zverev, a microphone in his hand, a grin on his face, analyzing the match. But at some point the grin disappeared and it was no longer about tennis. It was about his coach’s birthday.
Alexander Zverev’s trainer is called Alexander Zverev, the father trains the son. Tennis is such a family thing for the Zverevs. A lot of their collaboration will be about sport, but of course there are things that a tennis player should also think about. The father’s birthday is one of them. Zverev had forgotten him. So he sang a serenade as an apology, and those watching in the stands sang along.
Of course, Zverev was sometimes asked about the birthday thing afterwards. Zverev said he spoke to his father and it wasn’t that bad. “He said, ‘You idiot, you could have just won in three sets. Then we could have celebrated my birthday’.”
Opponent Alcaraz: “If he plays, tennis will be spectacular”
They will have to postpone the celebration; the quarterfinals against Carlos Alcaraz, 20, from Spain are on Wednesday (January 24, 2024). There are easier tasks: Alcaraz is still young, but has been number one in the world for 31 weeks and is currently in second place. Last summer he won against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, it was his second Grand Slam title. Djokovic had previously celebrated four years in a row.
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This final will not be forgotten in a hurry, it was exciting and high-class. This is often the case when Alcaraz is involved. “When he plays, tennis becomes spectacular,” Die Zeit once wrote. It was about the final against Djokovic, but of course also about how Alcaraz plays tennis. He runs balls that no one can hardly run. He varies the tempo almost effortlessly. And he even plays the stop with his forehand, it’s his system.
After the Wimbledon final, the loser Djokovic was sometimes asked about the winner Alcaraz. A question was repeated: Was Alcaraz perhaps someone who could one day, sooner or later, reach the level of Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal? “He basically has the best of all worlds,” said Djokovic. “I’ve never played against anyone like him.”
Zverev, Ferrero and the matter of respect
Alcaraz is trained by Juan Carlos Ferrero, 43, who used to be a good tennis player himself. Once, in 2003, Ferrero won the French Open, he was number one in the world for seven weeks. They called him “Mosquito” because he could unexpectedly hurt opponents with his forehand. The nickname was, of course, a compliment. After retiring, he became a coach and was responsible for Alexander Zverev from July 2017 to March 2018. It wasn’t an easy time, not for Zverev and not for Ferrero either. And the end really wasn’t a pretty one, there’s a shadow hanging over it.
Both gave interviews after the breakup, both missed something. They independently found a term for what they were missing. They both use it. Respect, Zverev said in an interview with the “FAZ,” is “a thing that you have to have towards everyone.” Ferrero told Marca that he had asked Zverev “from day one to respect the coaching team.”
Zverev says: “Dream of winning the Grand Slam lives on”
Ferrero soon found a new protégé, he took responsibility for Alcaraz. It also has to do with his work that many experts see Alcaraz as someone who could dominate tennis for years to come. When Ferrero talks about his player’s successes, he sometimes includes praise for himself. After the victory at Wimbledon, he said: “It wasn’t easy in the end, but we did it.”
In fact, Ferrero and Alcaraz have long since achieved what Zverev has never achieved. He is still waiting for a victory at a Grand Slam tournament. A few months ago, Zverev gave “Sports Illustrated” a long interview in which he also talked about goals. He said: “The dream of winning the Grand Slam lives on.” But there is not much to suggest that he will be able to fulfill his dream in Melbourne this year.
In the first round he had some problems with Dominik Koepfer, and against the Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein an early elimination would have been possible in round two. He only won the match against Alex Michelsen in three sets before he even had to go through five sets in the round of 16. Tennis is a strenuous affair for Zverev right now; he played almost five hours more in this tournament than his next opponent. At least his record against Alcaraz is correct: he won four of seven matches, including the last one in November at the ATP finals.
Alcaraz without Ferrero – no reunion with Zverev
By the way, Zverev is spared a reunion with his former coach Ferrero. Ferrero was preparing Alcaraz for the Australian Open, but he underwent knee surgery in December. He stayed in Spain. Alcaraz is trained in Australia by Samuel Lopez, who was also Ferrero’s coach many years ago. Ferrero will still have given him tips about his ex-player Zverev. Alcaraz said: “It’s hard not having Ferrero here, but Lopez is with me and he’s a great coach.”
When Zverev spoke about the quarterfinals after the win against Norrie, when the excitement about the forgotten birthday had died down, he was also asked about Carlos Alcaraz. Perhaps, said Zverev, people in Australia don’t know too much about Alcaraz, but that’s not a bad thing. They would “get to know him well over the next 25 years.”