World No. 5 Alexander Zverev won the Italian Open in 2017 but has not made much progress in this year’s clay season. However, he now feels ‘comfortable’ and is hoping to win the title again.
In 2017, the 27-year-old lifted his first title on Italian clay by beating then second seed Novak Djokovic in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. However, this year, Djokovic’s poor run continued as he lost to 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.
Rafael Nadal, who is a 10-time Italian Open champion, but is dealing with form problems, also got knocked out of the tournament after his second-round match against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. The defeats of these top players plus the absence of young sensations like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have given Zverev the opportunity to try his luck at the Foro Italico.
I had high expectations from the clay season and the first tournaments didn't go well, but now I feel comfortable in Rome. I know what it's like to win here, my tennis adapts well to these conditions and I feel like I have a good rhythm on the ball and intensity in my legs. Alexander Zverev said at the press conference
Zverev started his European clay season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, reaching the fourth round where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas, who went on to lift his third title there. At the ATP 250 event in Munich as well, Zverev suffered as he lost to Cristian Garín in the quarterfinals. Then, in Madrid, his progress to the quarterfinal was put to an end by Francisco Cerundolo.
Alexander Zverev will face Nuno Borges in the fourth round
After his win over Italy’s Luciano Darderi which lasted for an hour and 48 minutes, Alexander Zverev advanced into the fourth round of every ATP 1000 Masters event of 2024. Zverev said Darderi’s game reminded him of Matteo Berrettini and believes the 22-year-old will one day become a great player.
The guy is serving 225 [km/h] and hitting the forehand as hard as Berrettini sometimes, so he reminded me of him a little bit. He's young, he's up and coming. Alexander Zverev said after the match
The German started his campaign in Rome with an easy win over Aleksandar Vukic before facing Darderi. He will next face Portugal’s Nuno Borges, who overcame Italy’s Francesco Passaro. This will be their first encounter on the ATP Tour.
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