"Just two days of rest": Alexander Zverev looks to hit the ground running in 2024 with minimal off season

Alexander Zverev aims to return to his best form in 2024 and has decided to shorten his off-season to just two days.

The former world No. 2 made a comeback in 2023 after an eight-month hiatus due to an ankle injury and surgery. He quickly reestablished himself in the upper echelons of the tour, putting together a strong campaign at the French Open by reaching the semifinals and securing two titles at the Hamburg Open and Chengdu Open.

These achievements earned him a spot among the top 8 players of the season, allowing him to compete in the ATP Finals. Zverev showcased excellent form in the round-robin stage, securing victories against Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev. However, he narrowly missed out on the semifinals due to a difference in games won against Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz.

“I have to look at it positively, even though I was eliminated in the group phase: I finally beat Alcaraz and Rublev,” Zverev said.

After a successful comeback season, the German announced, 'Just two days of rest,' expressing his preference to spend more time in training for the upcoming season.

“I love being in the gym and seeing progress. For me, that’s a vacation somewhere,” he added.

Zverev has high expectations for what he can achieve this year and declared that he will strive to elevate his level to the maximum and be competitive in every tournament he enters: “I don’t want to set any limits for myself for 2024.”

Despite his lengthy absence in 2022, Zverev played at an impeccable level for much of the season, especially in the latter part of the year. 'Sascha' faced legal issues in Germany over alleged cases of violence against his ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea, the mother of his daughter Mayla.

Zverev didn’t allow off-court problems to distract him too much from tennis and ended the year with two titles, back in the top 10, and a record of 55-27, along with $4,820,664 in prize money.