Zverev Pregnant while Novak Tanks?

If you want to read a weird headline in the tennis world, there you go! It doesn’t get more clickbaity than that right?

Alexander Zverev is not pregnant. His ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea is. He has issued a statement where he says he will do his best to be a good father at 23 years of age. We can only wish him all the best in what will surely be a tricky challenge for a professional tennis player.

Besides the pregnancy, he has been accused to have abused his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova. An article on CNN.com reads: Tennis star Alexander Zverev’s ex–girlfriend says he attacked her ahead of the US Open last year, an allegation the player says is “simply not true.” Olya Sharypova, 23, says Zverev tried to strangle her with a pillow in a hotel room in New York before she fled barefoot in fear of her life.

So Zverev has a lot on his mind right now. Despite the ongoing chaos, he still managed to win the BettHulks tournament in Cologne. Twice. Yes, they ran back-to-back ATP 250 tournaments there and Zverev managed to win them both. So he sure knows how to win tennis matches, especially against weaker opponents.

Novak tanks? Or just plays it smart?

Rafa is now in Paris getting ready for the final Masters’ event of this strange year. I thought we would see Novak Djokovic there too but he has withdrawn to get ready for the ATP Finals in London.

Novak entered Vienna to ensure his number one ranking at the end of the year. He needed to win two matches. Won them and then lost 1-6 2-6 to “redlining” Lorenzo Sonego. Yes, Sonego was playing, arguably, the best tennis of his life. But Novak didn’t give a hundred percent, that was pretty evident not only by the scoreline but by the way he moved and behaved on the court.

To me, it looked like a tank job and it wasn’t pretty. Djokovic said afterward that he found it difficult to motivate himself after reaching his goal of finishing number one in the world for a record-sharing (Sampras) 6th time. Still, I think it looked pretty bad. Well done to Lorenzo, but Novak isn’t really behaving as an ambassador for the sport when he puts in 70% and gets three games.

Rafa loves Paris and Rublev loves winning

Okay, back to Rafa in Paris. We all know Rafa loves the clay in Paris, even in the chilly winds of September. But he has never won the indoor Masters in Paris or the ATP finals. In this drastically shortened tennis year, it’s possible he has the reserves and is fresh enough to win at least one of them. What do you think? If you are a betting man, you can check out 22Bet Ghana bonuses.

Despite being fresh, indoor tennis has never been Rafa’s cup of hot chocolate. But who else can win? Will Zverev be too preoccupied with this off-court situation? Can Rublev, who just won his fifth (!) title of the year in Vienna, do it again in Paris? The guy seems to found a way to win over and over again, so he is definitely a threat.

I would also put guys like Tsitsipas, Medevev, and in-form Schwartzman on the list of possible winners. Keen to hear your predictions here!

No matter what, some good tennis to look forward to this week!