Woodbridge: Zverev proves he’s the real deal

This weekend we saw in Alexander ‘Sascha’ Zverev a young man who is ready to overtake the old generation and become the new star of men’s tennis. We’ve talked about him as Next Gen, well he is the Gen.

There are several things that stand out for me about his Rogers Cup win over Federer.

When you watch him you can see that he’s enjoying his tennis: he’s thriving on the atmosphere, and his manner on court is as good as any of his generation. By manner, I mean that he’s not scared of situations, he’s stepping up to the plate, he’s fit and you can see the improvements in the physical side of his game; the body is starting to look robust. His shots are getting bigger off both sides, and his confidence is growing.

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All of the great players have a package. It’s not about a raw talent or great ball striking, it’s just ‘the package’. Zverev is improving every element of that package – the talent, the physicality, the mentality and the off-court approach. He is thriving in all of those areas.

I don’t see many gaps in his game, but I do see a young man trying to improve by analysing all aspects of his performance.

If there was a question mark, it is this: why hasn’t he performed at a Grand Slam yet? He hasn’t made that breakthrough, but it is inevitable that he will. Probably it will happen at this US Open – he’s got momentum and he’s on a surface that he will have most success on.

Two things have hampered him at Slams so far.

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The first is dealing with his own expectations – he has wanted to do so well at these tournaments that he put a mental block on himself.

Secondly, he needs to learn how to play five sets. A lot of people want to take five set tennis away, but for me it is intriguing and distinguishes the Majors from the other tournaments. There are many good players who have won tournaments at best-of-three where they can get momentum and win. But in a best-of-five, there are ebbs and flows of concentration and intensity – you have to learn when to stay steady and when to accelerate.

Roger is the best at that. He senses that dip from his opponent and builds pressure quickly. A lot of the time he breaks his opponent not by playing brilliant tennis, but by building pressure. He comes out of the blocks quickly, gets the momentum, and with the aura that he carries is able to mentally get on top of them straight away.

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Sascha hasn’t learnt that yet – how to read those moments and get those two sets and a break. After that, a five set match is effectively over.

For now, it’s crucial Sascha maintains his momentum. If he commits to play Cincinnati, he has to play to win it. Then he needs to get the body ready for the rigours of New York.

Despite his win in Montreal he’s an outsider for the title at Flushing Meadows this year – I still believe that Federer has the upper hand at Grand Slams.