The Mutua Madrid Open’s top seed arrived at the Caja Magica on Wednesday. Alexander Zverev knows better than most what it means to taste victory in Madrid and he is vying to do so once again this year. It would be his third title after triumphs in 2018 and 2021. Only Novak Djokovic (3) and Rafa Nadal (5) have won more times than Zverev in the Spanish capital.
The German player is riding a wave of confidence. He had been struggling with his game but his victory in Munich just a few days ago has given him a renewed belief in himself: “I’m finally playing good tennis, and winning a tournament always helps you get more confidence. I didn’t have much confidence before Munich. I hadn’t played my best level, but I’m really happy to have won the tournament and I hope to keep playing good tennis in the future”, said Sascha. “I just won a tournament last week. To win tournaments, above all at this level, you can’t play badly. I’m happy to have won, you get a confidence boost from winning tournaments like that. Yes, for the future, I hope, like I said, to stay on the same path and keep improving and trying to win”.
It has been a strange and difficult year for a Zverev who has now turned a corner in his season after struggling for a few months after losing the Australian Open final. The current world number two knows that he has a chance of climbing to the top of the world rankings, but he does not believe that opportunity has been a factor in his recent performances: “I don’t think it’s to do with thinking about the number one, I was simply playing bad, to be honest. Sometimes that’s how it goes. I think I’ve already said that Australia affected me, there were a lot of things on my mind and I wasn’t playing well”.
Where better to continue his recovery process and rediscover his A-game than at the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament that fits the three-time Grand Slam finalist’s game like a glove. The prince of the Manolo Santana Stadium agrees that the event is a perfect match for him: It’s one of my favourite tournaments. The centre court is my favourite court, I’ve only lost twice there in my life, so it’s a special place for me. It’s also a place where I’ve had a lot of success, so that helps. I hope to continue this year in the same vein as in recent years, winning big matches and going far in the tournament”.
Zverev kicks off his campaign for his hattrick in Madrid against the winner of the clash between Roberto Bautista Agut and Jaume Munar. Whichever of the Spaniards he faces, it will not be a straight forward opener. Davidovich is a potential third-round opponent for him and Andrey Rublev, last year’s champion, could stand in his way in the quarterfinals. Nobody said it would be easy getting that third crown.
