A former world number one stands up for Zverev
Kim Clijsters has wanted to credit the year of the German tennis player in response to the criticisms of those who claim that his achievements are due to the injuries of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Two days ago, Jannik Sinner announced that he will miss the rest of the season due to his right knee injury. This means that Alexander Zverev will finish the year as the number 1 in the world, although it has also generated much criticism from those who believe it is due to the absences of the Italian player and Carlos Alcaraz due to injury at various times during the season. However, a former number 1 like Kim Clijsters has come to his defense.
Although it also caught her by surprise, Kim wanted to give credit to the consistency and good play of 'Sascha'. “I wasn’t expecting it either, but this shows that in tennis, consistency is key. Not just in tennis, but also in well-being. If we look at what Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic did, and what Novak is still doing, the ability to stay healthy for such a long time… Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who has been injured for a while with his wrist; are suffering more serious injuries at the beginning of their careers, earlier than I think Roger and Rafa had them,” she stated on the podcast 'Love All'.
It is true that Zverev has a quite poor record against top 10 opponents this season, and the two Grand Slams he has won have been by facing two players within the top 20, but he has shown a positive change in his game and the results cannot be changed by anyone. “It will be very interesting to see the intensity of his game, the physical capacity needed to compete in long matches and rallies, and how it will affect their bodies. It’s part of the sport, but he has been the most consistent player on the court, and also regarding his health, so he undoubtedly deserves to end the year as the ATP ranking leader,” continued the former Belgian tennis player.
Clijsters puts herself in Zverev's shoes
In fact, Kim experienced a similar situation over 20 years ago, when she became world number 1 and received some similar criticism. “Maybe I’m recalling the time I became number one for the first time; I think it was in 2004 when I beat Lindsay Davenport in Los Angeles, and I hadn’t won a Grand Slam, so for a long time I had to tell the media, or they would ask me: Do you think you are good enough? Do you think you deserve to be number one? You haven’t won a Grand Slam,” she remembered.
It may be that Sinner and Alcaraz are superior when they are 100% physically, but 'Sascha' is not to blame for their injuries; he has simply stayed there and done what he had to do. “Serena Williams played fewer small tournaments, but truly dominated the Grand Slams that year, so maybe I’m a bit biased, because I feel she has done very well and yes, she has won two Grand Slams, but the media and people will always find something to criticize you for, but he has been the best player, no one can say otherwise,” she concluded.
Obviously, the haters will still be there for Zverev, so next year will be key to know if he has truly made the leap in quality necessary to compete at the level of the two major dominators of the circuit. In fact, in this final stretch of the season, he will face Alcaraz if both meet expectations, putting all the pressure on his shoulders.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Una ex número 1 del mundo sale en defensa de Zverev