– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
MONTRÉAL — For 20-year-old Alexander Zverev, having the tennis courts serve as his classroom everyday – from learning the history of the game to the geometry and psychology that constantly is utilized and involved in it – is the only way to live life.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
After Zverev ended the Cinderella run of Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov, 6-4, 7-5, to reach the final of the Coupe Rogers Masters 1000 tournament, the German showed unbelievable maturity by pointing to his opponent immediately after the post-match handshake, letting the Canadian supporters shower their own with applause and adoration one last time instead of claiming any of the applause for his own. Later, he continued to show his maturity when asked how to avoid possibly being burned out by the sport at a young age, a phenomenon that can happen with regularity in the game of tennis.
“I don’t think it’s about the success you have in the early age,” said Zverev in the press conference. “I think it’s more about the personality that you are…You know, I’m someone who really enjoys this and really embraces the fact that I’m not somewhere studying right now. I’m doing something that I love. Why would I want to do anything else?”
Hmm. What if Alexander Zverev, the world’s eighth-ranked tennis player, was Alexander Zverev, the college student? What would he be studying if he were to carry around a backpack instead of a racquet bag?
“I mean, what was I good at in school?,” Zverev wondered aloud. “I was always good in math in school, but I wouldn’t want to study math for the rest of my life. No offense to the people that do, but I would be depressed at some point. No, maybe science or nature, biology, I don’t know…Sports. That’s it.”
Here is all the math that Zverev and tennis fans worldwide need to know; In less than two years after turning professional as a 16-year-old in 2013, Zverev made his way into the ATP Top 100 in 2015, and then skyrocketed into the Top 20 just over a year after that. In doing so, he became the youngest player to reach the Top 20 since Novak Djokovic did so a decade back in 2006.
Zverev now sits as world No. 8, and ranks even higher (No. 4) in the ATP Race to London, where the top eight qualify for the season-ending event. The newly-minted finalist in Montréal is the No. 4 seed in this tournament, the highest seed he ever has been in a Masters 1000 event. The meteoric rise had been widely predicted, but still seeing the number next to his name in the draw is still an adjustment for him.
It’s that math thing, probably.
“Well, obviously it feels good,” said Zverev about his career-high Masters 1000 ranking after his win on Thursday against Nick Kyrgios in the Round of 16. “But it feels a little bit strange as well. It’s a Masters 1000, one of the biggest events we have on tour. For me, I’m not used to it yet. But I’m guessing that hopefully it will happen a lot more times, maybe even [be] higher seeded. I’m guessing that’s something I have to get used to.”
Something we have all been used to seeing from Zverev is winning, especially this year. He came into Montréal after winning his fourth ATP Tour World title of the year (fifth overall) in Washington D.C., the win marking only the 10th occurrence of a player who started a season under 21 years old winning at least four titles in a single season since 1992. In doing so, Zverev joined the likes of Marat Safin (2000), Lleyton Hewitt (2000, 2001), Andy Roddick (2003), Rafael Nadal (2005, 2006, 2007), Novak Djokovic (2007) and Juan Martin del Potro (2008) on that prestigious list. Included in those four tour wins was his first Masters 1000 title, a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over then world No. 2 Djokovic in the final of Rome.
The frontrunner of the #NextGenATP class had now arrived to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the cream of the ATP Tour crop. That ascent should come with added pressure, but Zverev takes a pragmatic approach in dealing with the possibly of now having a target on his back, given his standing in the game today.
“I play every match the same way,” Zverev said. “If somebody’s better than me, then somebody’s better than me. If I play my best, somebody beats me, that’s fine.”
To compare it to school, Zverev is currently getting straight A’s, yet there is one lesson that he has yet to master: his opponent in Sunday’s final, 19-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. Zverev is 4-1 in ATP Finals this year, but his only finals loss came to Federer in Halle, 1-6, 3-6.
Looks like an all-nighter in Swiss history is in store for Zverev before Sunday.
