It’s time for Alexander Zverev to look for another coach again. David Ferrer has called it quits on the Zverev coaching gig.
Zverev has had a tough time finding a coach to stick by him. Ferrero, Lendl, and Ferrer are his three latest coaches and although the Ferrer partnership was pretty successful results-wise, Ferrer has announced that he doesn’t want to continue the relationship in 2021.
According to this post on tennis.com, the reasons are multifold.
“I told Sascha that we were not going to go forward next season,” the former No. 3 told Punto de Break. “It was not for anything special. Absolutely nothing has happened between us, everything is good—I appreciate the opportunity he gave me to travel with him during this period. During these months we had a good collaboration, everything was perfect.”
“It’s true that the coronavirus issues put you back a bit,” he said. “I am also the tournament director of [Barcelona], which takes up a lot of time. Of course, my family is at the top, there are a lot of things and I want to concentrate on them first.”
Is this the whole story or is Zverev simply not easy to work with? When Lendl and Zverev split, there were shots fired.
Zverev said about the split: “We talked about it and I told him to concentrate on tennis more. Sometimes we go to the tennis court, the training is two hours long, and for half-an-hour, he stands with his back to me talking about the way he played golf the morning before,”
“I have a lot of belief in Sascha who is still very young. I think that one day he may become a great player but currently, he has some off-court issues that make it difficult to work in a way that is consistent with my philosophy.”
What’s next for Zverev?
Where will Alexander Zverev go next? It’s hard to predict. He has already gone with the superstar name of Lendl (and Ferrero) and the recent ex-player in Ferrer, so will he go with something more low-key now as he is trying to find a way to his first slam title. It will be interesting to follow his progress in 2021. His game looks ready for his first GS title, but what about his mind?
Keen to hear what you think here. Is it Zverev’s time this year?
2 comments
I always thought Zverev doesn’t seem 110% focused. Often his body language is a bit “off”. At the least that is how it seems. He is obviously hugely successful and the margins are razor thin in tennis. Personally I like the body language of Tsitsipas. He really seems focused and super determined. But, that is how it look externally. I guess only one that really knows is Zverev himself.
Zverev’s personal life is currently a shit show, so I am not surprised coaches stop working with him. It’s such a pity, Alexander has such great potential!