Alexander Zverev’s grand-slam breakthrough cannot remove black marks |
Alexander Zverev’s grand-slam breakthrough cannot remove black marks
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In the summer of 2017, I sat with Alexander “Sascha” Zverev and his parents, Irina and Alexander snr, in the leafy surrounds of Buckinghamshire’s Stoke Park – the exclusive venue for the Boodles grass-court exhibition.
As we conducted a 20-minute interview, the Zverev family could not have been more helpful. But I still remember that afternoon for its bad vibes. As Zverev’s match approached, a member of his entourage lost patience with our photoshoot, strode up to the photographer – whom he claimed was delaying Zverev’s entrance to the court – and grabbed him fiercely by the shirt-front.
Zverev himself looked startled by the incident, which he had certainly not instigated. And yet, that first meeting proved to be a harbinger of what was to come. As much as one respects Zverev’s tennis, as much as one acknowledges his persistence and dedication, his achievements on the court are so often occluded by … stuff.
Allegations of domestic abuse, violations of COVID-19 protocol, altercations with umpires, tactless remarks about fellow players – all these factors have since filtered into the perception of Zverev as the chief anti-hero of the tour, at least since Nick Kyrgios faded out of the picture.
Add in the rugged but unromantic way that Zverev plays – all long levers,........