Alexander Zverev Shares What He Wants to be Remembered for, After Managing His Emotions at the Canadian Open

Alexander Zverev has revealed that he wants to be remembered for what he has achieved on the court, just hours after he composed himself during his quarter-finals clash against defending champion Alexei Popyrin in Toronto. The German star showed flashes of frustration but held firm to reach the last four of the Canadian Open.

Zverev has been impressive since arriving for the Canadian Open, but against Popyrin, he struggled in the first set, which allowed the Australian star to dominate proceedings. The World No.3 grew frustrated in the match as a heckler kept disrupting his rhythm on the court, but he showed mental toughness in the second set.

He rallied from 0-3 down in the set and broke Popyrin’s serve twice to win 6-4 and force the game to a decider. In the deciding set, he managed his emotions, not allowing the presence of the crowd to break his play on the court. He maintained the high level display throughout the third set to win the match 6(8)-7, 6-4, 6-3.

During his press conference, the German star was asked about how he has learned to manage his emotions on the court over the years. He revealed that he wants to be remembered for his achievements on the court and the good things he is doing off the court and not for an outburst with a heckler:

I want to be remembered for my tennis. I want to be remembered for what I’ve achieved on the court, for what I’ve done on the tennis court…Also for the good things I do outside the tennis court as well. There’s quite a lot of work that I do with my foundation, and with my family as well, which can be beneficial and helps people around the world. So I would much rather be known and remembered for that than the outbursts that I used to have, right? That’s just something that, at some point, just comes.

Zverev launched his foundation in 2022, primarily to support children living with diabetes, an illness close to his heart, having been diagnosed with it at the age of four. However, that did not hamper his dream to become a professional tennis player, and he has been a source of inspiration to younger players dealing with such an illness.

Nonetheless, Zverev is into his 75th career semi-final after reaching the last four of the Canadian Open. He’s now the second active man with the most semi-finals on tour, behind Novak Djokovic, who has 196. He will face Karen Khachanov next for a place in the Masters 1000 final.

Alexander Zverev says he’s fighting for “big things” at the Canadian Open in Toronto

In June, Alexander Zverev suffered a shocking defeat in the first round of the Wimbledon Championship after losing in five sets to French star Arthur Rinderknech. He went on to reveal after the match that he felt lonely and lacked joy on the court. However, he took a one-month break and trained with Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni Nadal in Mallorca.