Shortly after capturing his first title of the season with a thrilling 6-4, 7-6(3) final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev set his sights on adding more silverware to his impressive trophy collection.
Zverev, born in April 1997, owns the most titles of any player born since 1994. The 14-time tour-level titlist’s nearest rival in this category is 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev, who owns 10 ATP Tour trophies. The 23-year-old shared pride in leading that category and believes his run to the title in Acapulco could help him achieve greater success in the future.
“It’s great achievement for me. You come to play tournaments to win tournaments,” Zverev said. “I have done that this week. I am extremely happy with that. The main goal is still the biggest titles in the world. The Grand Slams are the most difficult ones to win and I haven’t achieved that yet, but I am looking forward to it. I think this is a big stepping stone for me.”
Over the past six months, Zverev has been one of the leading players on the ATP Tour. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion has reached five finals on hard courts during that period, with further title runs at back-to-back indoor events in Cologne last October. Zverev also finished as a runner up at the US Open (l. to Thiem) and the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Medvedev).
Zverev believes one of the major factors in his consistent hard-court success in recent months has been his experience.
“I got older [and] maybe a few things changed for me,” said Zverev. “I know how to handle a few things maybe a little bit better and, as a tennis player, you always try to evolve.”
During the trophy ceremony, Zverev took a moment to thank the Acapulco crowd for their support. The Hamburg-born star described his visit to the ATP 500 as “the most fun I had on a tennis court in months, a few years maybe.” Zverev, who won the Acapulco doubles title in 2019 (w/M. Zverev), wore a Mexican national football shirt during his speech.
“Winning is nice, it is awesome, but the atmosphere, the people, playing in front of a crowd, we miss that a lot,” said Zverev. “The Mexican crowd always welcomes me very well.”
After falling in the 2019 final to Nick Kyrgios, Zverev achieved a career goal with his run to the trophy this week at the three-time ATP 500 Tournament of the Year (2007, ’17, ’19). The 6’6” right-hander owns a 12-3 record across four tournament appearances in Acapulco.
“I’ve always said that this is definitely a tournament that I wanted to win in my career,” Zverev said. “I have a very strong relationship with Mexico and with this tournament. I came here with a goal and I achieved it, and I’m very happy with that.”
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3lxfo6s
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