Alexander Zverev trying to prove Andre Agassi wrong as John McEnroe makes telling prediction
Before Alexander Zverev finally broke his Grand Slam duck, Andre Agassi had some harsh words for the German in Paris.
He said after the 6ft 6in player’s semi-final win over Jakub Mensik at the French Open, “One of the downsides that I see happening as he wins this tournament and settles into the same kind of tennis. He has way more upside than he’s showing us.”
The type of tennis that may have “frustrated” Agassi was Zverev’s tendency not to be aggressive enough, while standing a long way back from the baseline.
And when the 29-year-old won Roland Garros to finally win a major final at the fourth attempt, the American let Zverev in on a “dirty little secret” he learned after his first Grand Slam triumph.
The former world No 1 said, “You can win a Slam… does it really change your life? You can say it, it’s easy to say, but I don’t know if it does. We have had a lot of one Slam wonders, that have done some incredible – I’m sure they’re thrilled they won.
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“When I finally got over the finish line [and won my first Grand Slam], I was let in on a dirty little secret: that winning changes nothing.
“You are gonna to have that pressure again if you have more expectations from yourself. So you gotta deal with it, you gotta bring it on Sunday like you did at the start of the tournament.”
But when Zverev thumped Taylor Fritz in straight sets to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final on Wednesday, it appears that the second seed is playing with the shackles off.
Next up, he faces British wildcard Arthur Fery, who is enjoying his own remarkable run at SW19. However, even if he beats the 23-year-old, the giant figures of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are lurking on the other side of the draw.
Sinner in particular has had a real stranglehold over Zverev of late, with the Italian holding a 10-4 head to head lead, in addition to winning nine in a row against the German.
But the fact that Zverev snapped a seven-match losing streak to Fritz – who did call for a medical time out later on in the match – and lost just 10 games to the American may suggest that he is playing without pressure right now.
Of course, that may change in a Wimbledon semi-final or final but at the moment, former British No 1 Tim Henman can’t help but admire what Zverev is doing on court right now.
He said on the BBC, “For me, this is Zverev playing with the freedom of having got that Grand Slam title under his belt.
“He had been in three finals and lost them all, but getting over the line in Paris… he really is one of the best servers out there and playing better on every surface now.”
John McEnroe later said on the same channel that there is “so much weight” off Zverev‘s shoulders and that he will be “much tougher to beat” over the next couple of years in the majors.
Agassi may yet be proven right. Zverev may not be able to add to his one Grand Slam triumph. But for the time being, it seems he may have taken those comments personally as he tries to earn major No 2.
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