Alexander Zverev: A Player with a Purpose
Four-time Laver Cup champion Alexander Zverev looks to have home-ground support, a quality roster, and an impressive record to help Team Europe regain the Cup in Berlin.
How it’s going
Alexander Zverev returns to Team Europe after a two-year absence from representing at Laver Cup. During this time, he recovered from a severe ankle injury sustained at Roland Garros in 2022 to become one of the sport’s most successful players, once again ranked No.2 on the PIF ATP Rankings.
The Hamburg-born Zverev is one of the most consistent and determined players on Tour. He won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in three years at Rome in May and followed up by reaching his first Roland Garros final, in which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, his teammate in Berlin. Zverev owns 22 ATP singles titles, including the ATP year-end finals in 2018 and 2021. He won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and Karen Khachanov in the championship match.
The motivation to play Laver Cup
Making his fifth appearance with Team Europe in Berlin, Zverev is one of Team Europe Captain Bjorn Borg’s most valued players, having won six out of seven singles matches, two from two in doubles and a total of 18 points, making him one of the highest achievers in the competition. Representing Team Europe in his homeland is added motivation for the 27-year-old Zverev, who can’t wait for German fans to experience the excitement of the competition up close.
“It’s just such a unique and special event on its own, having all these great team members with you,” he said.
The key to winning the Laver Cup
As a member of four winning Laver Cup campaigns with Team Europe and nurtured in the early years of the competition by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Zverev knows too well how important it is to pick the right matchups in order to score the maximum number of points on the Laver Cup leaderboard.
“It’s also a strategic thing with how the scoring system works. And it’s very unique, very different to anything else,” he said. “I’m kind of the veteran on it, right? So, I’m the guy who played it the most. I think I won it the most luckily as well.
“We have a lot of great champions on our team as well. And it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun to be on the same team with all those great players, Grand Slam champions, you know, legends with Rafa as well there. And I’m just gonna enjoy my time.”
A career-defining moment came at Laver Cup Geneva in 2019 when Zverev played the last must-win match against Canadian Milos Raonic. Zverev had just lost the second set and was given a stern talking to by Nadal and Federer as he walked to the locker room and back before the final third-set 10-point tiebreaker.
“I was very nervous about it, and I was very nervous on the court, but definitely helped me bring the energy up,” said Zverev, who was 22 at the time. “Luckily, we won in the end.”
He is also keen to serve on Borg’s team as the Swedish legend prepares for his last campaign as Team Europe Captain. “He’s a great person, great fun to be around. He’s very quiet on the court, on the bench,” Zverev said of the 11-time major champion.
“So very opposite to Johnny Mac. But outside of court, he’s phenomenally funny. He’s great to hang out with. Just having this, you know, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg rivalry at the Laver Cup itself, brings something to it as well.”
