Jim Courier thinks Roger Federer is behind big change in Alexander Zverev’s game which is really on show at the Australian Open
Alexander Zverev is perhaps going under the radar at the Australian Open, which may just work in his favour.
Zverev occupies number two in the ATP rankings, and has dropped just one set at the Australian Open so far, which came against Ugo Humbert in round four.
German star Zverev thinks Tommy Paul has grown a lot as a player, with the American next up in the quarter-finals.
Paul has emulated Andy Roddick by reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals, with the 12th seed now facing his toughest test on paper in second seed Zverev.
All eyes are expected to fall on the German given his current ranking and indeed his overall Grand Slam record.
Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates match point against Ugo Humbert of France (not seen) in round 4 of the Australian Open grand slam tennis tou…
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Roger Federer credited for Alexander Zverev’s increased aggression
Zverev has reached two Grand Slam finals in his superb career, but lost to Dominic Thiem and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2020 US Open and 2024 French Open respectively.
But his efforts this month have really caught the eye of former world number one Mats Wilander, who said on Eurosport: “He is looking unbelievably good. I think he is playing way more aggressive these days, especially with the forehand side.
“The backhand has always been rock steady and he has played pretty aggressively with that his whole life but the forehand sometimes he leans back too much and he’s scared to hit it, but he’s definitely hitting the forehand harder. This is the best I think I have ever seen Sascha Zverev play tennis to be honest.”
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Another former world number one in Jim Courier has also been impressed, commenting: “I think he is looking great. We were at Laver Cup and remember that Roger Federer had made those comments publicly about Sascha? That he needed to be more aggressive at the decisive moments if he wanted to win something big.
“Well, Mats’s point about how big his forehand is in this tournament, I think there is a direct correlation to that criticism which nobody is going to doubt anything that Roger Federer says, because Roger doesn’t have a bone to pick with anyone. He is just matter of fact about it.
“The fact of the matter is that the forehand has been shaky and too predictably cross-court, if he can get a bit more comfortable on being aggressive with it, given the improvements that he has made with his serve over the last couple of years, that might be the secret sauce he needs to get to the next level and hold one of these big trophies in his hands.
“We will see if he can do it at the important moments because that is really when the rubber is going to meet the road.
“He is going to get more chances to win majors, can he step up then? He is doing it in the early rounds when it is easier. That’s a great sign. I love seeing it from Sascha.”
Can Alexander Zverev win elusive first Grand Slam title the Australian Open?
There can be no doubting Zverev’s ability, with the German having taken his ATP Tour title tally to 23 last season with wins in Paris and Rome.
He also sits behind only Jannik Sinner in the world rankings, although it remains to be seen if he can finally get over the line at Grand Slam level.
His best finish in Australia is represented by two semi-final finishes, one of which came last year when he lost to Daniil Medvedev, despite taking a two-set lead.
Aggression is likely to play a part in his upcoming clash with Paul, with the world number two clearly needing to find a solution to his issues having c
onstantly fallen short over the years.
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