Alexander Zverev spilled the beans on his private chat with Carlos Alcaraz
Alexander Zverev revealed that he discussed his rivals with Carlos Alcaraz (Image: Getty)
Alexander Zverev has revealed that Carlos Alcaraz and himself had a private chat about their rivals.
The world No. 2 was edged out by Taylor Fritz in a close semi-final at the ATP Finals on Saturday, with Fritz winning 6-3 3-6 7-6(3).
The American has been something of a bogey player for Zverev this year. And Zverev admitted he spoke to Alcaraz about their most uncomfortable opponents.
Zverev’s season came to an end with a semi-final defeat at the season-ending championships. The second seed was on an eight-match winning streak and hadn’t been broken all week in Turin.
But Fritz ended his run and sent him packing as their match went down to the wire, winning in a final set tiebreak.
The American has now won his last four matches against Zverev – the ATP Finals semi-final, a Laver Cup clash and two Grand Slam contests at the US Open and Wimbledon.
After losing his first match in three weeks, Zverev was asked whether he went into his meetings with Fritz aware of his recent poor record. And the 27-year-old admitted it was something he’d discussed with another one of his rivals.
Yeah, he’s an uncomfortable player for me. I think it’s no secret. I think there are players that are more comfortable for some opponents and there are players that are less comfortable,” the two-time former ATP Finals champion said.
“I talked to Carlos about it, which is funny. I mean, I think we have quite a good relationship, quite a good friendship.
“It’s funny, his very, very comfortable opponents are the complete opposite to me. His uncomfortable opponents are the complete opposite to me, as well. It’s funny how matchups work in tennis.”
Spilling the beans on their chat, Zverev named names and explained that the pair had identified that they were the opposites when it came to their preferred players and their banana skins.
He continued: “For him, I think some of the most comfortable opponents is Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz. For me it’s completely the opposite. He really doesn’t like playing some of the big hitters like a Jannik Sinner. He’s a great player, No. 1 in the world, for sure, but I still enjoy playing him.