The defending champion arrives at the Mutua Madrid Open with the intention of holding onto a title that he has already conquered twice (2018 and 2021). Alexander Zverev would be the second player in twenty editions of the Masters 1000 that is played in the Caja Mágica to mount a successful defence of his title after Rafa Nadal (2013-2014). The German is looking for a repeat of his performance on the European clay swing last year, which culminated in the semi-finals of the French Open.
To do so, in recent years Zverev has chosen to prepare diligently for this stretch of the season with the help of specialists on the surface such as Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer and now Sergi Bruguera. “I hope for a very long time. I have been without a coach, like a real coach for six, seven months now, since my father had some other things that he had to deal with”.
The second seed at the #MMOPEN, who faces a demanding opener against the winner of the clash between Spaniard Albert Ramos and Croat Marin Cilic, was full of praise for the two-time French Open champion (1993-94). “I need a coach. I need guidance. I need somebody who can look out for what is going on on the tennis court. I think Sergi [Bruguera] is one of the best guys for this”.
Zverev didn’t hide the fact that he had been in conversation with Ferrer, whom he hasn’t worked with since early 2021. “Obviously I talked to David Ferrer again, because for me he’s a great guy. He said that at the moment he has a lot of other things to do, and he’s the one that suggested Sergi Bruguera”.
The German and his coach, who won the silver medal in Atlanta 1996, started their partnership at the Masters 1000 in Miami (quarter-finals) and have since played the early clay season in Monte Carlo (semi-finals) and Munich (round of sixteen). “We tried in Miami and it worked out very well. We get along extremely well on court. Hopefully it will be a successful relationship”.
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