Alexander Zverev revealed he was made to feel uncomfortable in his opening round win over Alexander Bublik at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.
The German No.1 rallied from a set down to score a 3-6 6-2 6-4 win over the Kazakhstani star, and later admitted Bublik had made it difficult for him to dictate play.
“It felt awful at times to be honest, but he made me feel awful,” Zverev said. “Tactically he played well, he didn’t let me play my game at all. He didn’t let me have my rhythm and he almost won the match, just a few points here and there.
“I have had two weeks of practice now. It is the most natural surface for me. It usually takes me five or 10 minutes to get used to a clay court, but this year was a bit different. I needed to get the injury out of my head. I needed to get used to sliding again.”
This was Zverev's first clay-court competition following his scary injury at last year's Roland Garros. The former World No.2 stated he tries to emulate the greats of the game, and ensure he gets the victory regardless of his level of play.
“Sometimes that’s what makes the best players… If you’re not playing well, you sometimes have to find a way to win,” Zverev said. “That’s what Roger, Rafa, Novak, Andy did throughout the last 20 years, so kind of trying to learn from them."
Alexander Zverev talks about Bublik after defeating him in Monte Carlo today: 🗣️ "Everybody thinks that he is crazy or that he is playing like he doesn't care but I think he plays tactically very well, especially against players like myself... He is an extremely smart player!"
