Claims that Alexander Zverev is ‘passive’ could not be further from the truth after his displays at the Australian Open.
The ever-elusive Grand Slam continued to evade Zverev at the Australian Open, but it wasn’t for the want of trying for the German.
Zverev was narrowly defeated by Alcaraz in the Australian Open semi-final in a five-set epic on the Rod Laver Arena.
Coco Vandeweghe criticised Zverev for being passive in the match, but that’s been disproved by a recent statistic following the culmination of the Grand Slam.
Alexander Zverev hits impressive stat at the Australian Open
Zverev defeated Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Muller, Cameron Norrie, Francisco Cerundolo, and Learner Tien in an impressive run to the semi-finals.
The German ended the tournament by hitting a monstrous 280 winners at the Australian Open, according to OptaAce.
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Zverev stands at number two on the list, narrowly behind Alcaraz, who played one more match in Melbourne than the German.
The star hit more winners across the tournament than world number two Jannik Sinner and heavy hitter Ben Shelton.
It’s a remarkable stat for the German and all the proof his critics need that he doesn’t just sit back against the top players.
In his semi-final match with Alcaraz, Zverev hit 56 winners, 17 aces, and won 194 points, just six fewer than Alcaraz managed.
Alexander Zverev can win a Grand Slam in the future
Zverev might not have won at the Australian Open, but he was the only player at the tournament to truly trouble Alcaraz on his route to lifting the trophy.
The German’s serve had clearly improved in Melbourne, which helped him dispatch three seeded players at the event.
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If Zverev continues the form he showed at the Australian Open, he will get more chances to disrupt Sinner and Alcaraz.
Losing to Alcaraz, even if he was struggling with an injury, is not something to be disheartened by, particularly with his latest display against Djokovic.
Zverev should remain upbeat about his chances, and there’s every chance he can enjoy a season to remember.
