Germany's Zverev reveals no off-court bond with father despite coaching ties

Germany’s Alexander Zverev has revealed that he never spend time with his father despite him being his coach. The 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Zverev is currently taking part in the US Open where he has booked his place in the quarterfinal after beating America’s Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16 with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Talking after the match, the Hamburg-born star was quoted in a report and talked about his relationship with his father.

The world number four highlighted that he does not spend time with his father off the court despite him being his coach. “Well, off the court I just spend zero time with my father, so that's a starting point,“ he said. “We have enough of each other on the court. But look, I mean, we're all grown-ups. We all have a family ourselves. We all know how it works to have a family. Yeah, I mean, I enjoy it because your family is always close. You don't get homesick too much maybe. It depends how your relationship is I think on the court and off the court.”

It is the fourth consecutive occasion where Zverev has cemented his spot in the quarterfinal of the US Open. He is set to face America’s Taylor Fritz in the last-eight contest, who booked his spot after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. It will be the 10th meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous nine outings, Zverev had a slight advantage with five wins and suffered four defeats in the process. Their most recent meeting was in the fourth round of Wimbledon earlier this year, where Fritz came out on top in a five-set thriller with a score of 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3.