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Mark Petchey has offered some advice to Alexander Zverev ahead of the French Open, suggesting a key change could boost his chances.
Zverev came close to winning his first Grand Slam title in the 2024 Roland Garros final, where he fell just short against Carlos Alcaraz.
With Alcaraz pulling out of this year’s tournament, Zverev’s path to a major title looks more open than ever.
Even so, Petchey – who once worked briefly with Emma Raducanu – thinks there’s one important decision Zverev should make if he wants to succeed in Paris.
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Mark Petchey advises Alexander Zverev to skip Hamburg before Roland Garros
Zverev has had a busy schedule, playing in nine of the last 10 weeks and reaching the later rounds at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open, as well as making a deep run in Madrid.
Despite the heavy workload, Zverev is still planning to play both the Italian Open and the Hamburg Open before heading to Roland Garros.
While he previously said that no top players would enter Hamburg given its timing right before Roland Garros, he did end up taking a wildcard into the event last year.
Speaking on The Big T Podcast, Petchey said Zverev should skip Hamburg this time around to give himself a better shot at success in Paris.
“Definitely not [play] Hamburg,” said Petchey. “He played last year because he was desperate for confidence even though he made the quarters here and the round of 16 in Rome.
“He was looking for something ahead of Roland Garros and I don’t think it was the best decision he made. I think he needs to make sure that week is clear. I think he will go in there with a good run from the bottom part of the draw.
“He needs to give himself the best chance. He knows how to play tennis. The most important thing for Sascha is a clean first week. He does not want to be getting into four or five set matches in the first week. He has got to leave himself with enough energy.
“We saw it in the final against Alcaraz a couple of years ago, when he dropped off, after being up two sets to one. So I think for him that week needs to be clear.
“I have no problem with him giving it all out for Madrid and Rome ahead of that. That would be my take. I think he is hitting the ball well enough, just make sure the prep is great.”
Zverev previously claimed no top player would compete in Hamburg, as it is in the week before Roland Garros. However, he did take a wildcard for that tournament last year.
The German’s journey through Indian Wells took him all the way to another quarter-final where Carlos Alcaraz beat him yet again. His match record from these two events was 9-3 which is impressive given that Zverev had to fight through two deciding sets across both tournaments.
Zverev closes in on No. 2 seed for Roland Garros
Zverev’s recent record against Sinner hasn’t been great, with three losses to the world number one already this year.
But with Alcaraz pulling out of Roland Garros, Zverev is now in line to take the second seed spot in Paris, which means he wouldn’t have to face Sinner until a possible final.
He’s in a good position to secure that seeding and could make it official over Djokovic if he goes on to win the Madrid Open.
The German has already won twice before in Madrid and is now just three wins away from adding a third title to his name.
Next up for Zverev is Flavio Cobolli, and while Zverev leads their head-to-head overall, it was Cobolli who came out on top in their most recent meeting at the BMW Open in Munich.
Read more:
- Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev repeat Nadal and Federer’s rare ATP achievement
- Alexander Zverev spills the strategy to upset Jannik Sinner
- Chris Eubanks on what fans often misunderstand about Alexander Zverev
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