With Jannik Sinner, the current World No. 1 in the ATP rankings, suspended until early May due to a positive doping case, players near the top of the rankings are well aware that they have a prime opportunity to gain crucial points toward their ultimate goal. Alexander Zverev is among those players, and after his disappointing performance at Indian Wells, he is now targeting the Miami Open.
“Miami is my favorite city in the United States,” Zverev said during a press conference this week, as shared by the official ATP Tour website. “I genuinely love spending time here.”
Comparing the Masters 1000 event in Florida this week to his recent experience at Indian Wells, the German star was candid: “The conditions are probably more suited for me. The courts are a lot faster. It’s more humid, so the ball slows down in the air a bit more than in the desert.”
However, Alexander made it clear that these external factors are not the primary focus for his success. “I have not been playing my best the past few weeks,” he admitted. “I started the season well in Australia, but I haven’t played my best tennis lately. I hope I can turn it around here and showcase some better tennis.”
At the same time, Zverev expressed confidence in his ability to perform well in Miami. “Here, I really want to take it match by match and try to win every single match I play,” he said. “I hope I can show that on court, I had some very good training sessions here, so I remember the feeling of how I played last year a little bit as well. So again, I’m just trying to show that on court in a match.”
Zverev names his favorite NBA team
In a surprising moment during the press conference, Alexander Zverev opened up about why he enjoys spending time in Miami. “My favorite sports team is here with the Miami Heat, so I genuinely love being here,” revealed the World No. 2-ranked player.
Miami Open draw
With Jannik Sinner absent from the tournament due to his suspension, the top seed of the Miami Open will be Alexander Zverev. He will begin his campaign against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi or a qualifier. Should he improve upon his recent performances and advance to the later rounds, the German star could face a tough challenge in the quarterfinals: Jack Draper, the recent champion of Indian Wells.
“He’s definitely a good player. He’s grown and matured a lot, and he deserves to be a Masters 1000 champion. He deserves to be in the Top 10 as well,” Zverev said of Draper. “Indian Wells is a tournament where a lot of players struggle, and a lot of players love it. I’ve always been more on the struggling side, unfortunately.”