World No.2 Alexander Zverev said on Tuesday that he planned to fight to maintain his rank by the end of the season, despite persistent health problems which led him to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing. The 27-year-old said he was hospitalized last month after the Laver Cup – which he won with his five European teammates against six other players representing the “rest of the world”.
The German specified that he suffered from long-term lung inflammation which would take a few more months to completely resolve, according to him. “I was struggling physically, I wasn’t in good health. I didn’t know what it was“, he said during a press conference before the start of the Shanghai Masters 1000 on Wednesday.
Fritz once again had the last word against Zverev: the summary
It would be great to finish the year as world number two
“I always feel like I’m a little more tired than usual“, he added. Zverev is among the players who have recently expressed concerns about cadences in tennis for the health of athletes. “The ATP doesn’t care about our opinion, it’s a matter of money ” he said at the end of September.
Zverev had a mixed year: he won the Masters 1000 in Rome and played in the Roland-Garros final, lost to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. He then lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open in early September, describing his performance as“absolutely terrible“. “For me, personally, it would be great to finish the year as world number two“, commented the German, who will begin his journey in Shanghai in the 2nd round against a qualifier.
His main rival as runner-up to Jannik Sinner is Alcaraz, who will play the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing on Wednesday against the world No.1. “Carlos is playing great tennis at the moment, he is in Beijing to earn points, and I know I have to be at my best” to stay second, he said.
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