Former world number nine Marc
Rosset believes that Germany’s
Alexander Zverev has the potential to be successful
like Serbia’s
Novak Djokovic.
The 26-year-old is the current
world number nine and has never managed to win a Grand Slam.
His best outing came in the US
Open where he was the runner-up after losing the final to Austria’s Dominic
Thiem in a five-set thriller with a score of 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(8–6).
On the other hand, Djokovic is
often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s singles tennis in
the Open era, having won 24 Grand Slams in his illustrious career.
Despite such a contrasting record,
Rosset, who won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in the men’s singles category, suggested
that Zverev has the potential to be successful on the court like the current
world number one, only if he starts playing aggressively.
“Zverev. When he plays
aggressively inside the court, for me he is by far the most dominant player,” he
said. “If he plays like he did against Nadal in Roland Garros, he can dominate
any player.
“He beat Roger and Djokovic at the
ATP Finals, he serves up missiles, he can move on the baseline like Djokovic
and he can accelerate the ball at any time. He covers the court like Djokovic.
“If he plays aggressively, the
outcome of the match is in his hands. I love this guy. And for his size, he
moves incredibly. It’s very funny because if you look at [Stefanos] Tsitsipas,
[Daniil] Medvedev and Zverev – Zverev moves the best for his size and then
there’s his serve.”
Zverev has had a difficult time on
the court recently where he was knocked out of the Japan Open after losing to
Australia’s Jordan Thompson in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.