Alexander Zverev is the No. 7 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings and has lifted 11 trophies from 18 ATP Tour championship matches since 2016.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 6’6” German.

1) His Biggest Success Came In London
At the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, Zverev produced back-to-back straight-sets wins against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to become the youngest champion at the elite eight-man event in a decade. The 11-time ATP Tour titlist advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 round-robin record and found his best level to become the first man to beat Federer and Djokovic at the same edition of the event.

“It’s quite astonishing, winning this title, beating two such players back-to-back, Roger and Novak, in semi-finals and final,” said Zverev. “It means so much. I’m incredibly happy and incredibly proud of this moment right now.”

2) He Is In Great ATP Masters 1000 Company
Zverev is the only active player outside the Big Four of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray to own three Masters 1000 trophies. The German captured his first Masters 1000 crown at the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, beating Djokovic in straight sets in the final.

Zverev doubled his trophy count at the level at his next available opportunity with a straight-sets victory against Federer in the 2017 Coupe Rogers final. In one of the greatest weeks of his career, Zverev added a third Masters 1000 title to his collection after cruising through the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open draw without dropping serve.

3) He Has A Familiar Quarantine Buddy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zverev has been quarantining in Florida with a familiar face: Marcelo Melo. The pair has been good friends since 2015 and are often seen together when competing at the same tournaments on the ATP Tour.

During an Instagram live session last month, Zverev jokingly reflected on their first meeting at the 2015 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

“He was in the locker room by himself. He’s always in the locker room by himself. He never had that many friends. I was this new guy, I was 18. Everybody kept warning me [about] him. I was like, ‘Nah, he looks like he’s okay,’” said Zverev. “I was like, ‘Hey buddy, you want to have lunch?’ He was so happy, because finally somebody wanted to become friends with him, and I took him on. Every stranded puppy needs a home, so I take care of him.”

4) He Is A Big Fan Of Basketball
When Zverev is not busy on the tennis court, his eyes may be focussed on a basketball court. The 23-year-old is a keen follower of the Miami Heat and had the chance to meet the NBA team’s former shooting guard Dwyane Wade during the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau.

When Wade retired from the sport last year, Zverev paid tribute to the three-time NBA champion on Instagram and named the American his ‘favourite athlete of all time’.

Introducing new @MiamiHEAT power forward, Alexander #Zverev

What do you think, @DwyaneWade? ??#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/P7EkeUyAvm

— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 22, 2018

5) He Is A Dog Lover
In the age-old debate between cats and dogs, Zverev stands firmly on the side of dogs. Despite already owning a canine companion, Lovik, Zverev adopted a second dog at the 2019 Miami Open presented by Itau following a visit to the Humane Society of Greater Miami.

Later in the year, Zverev’s collection of dogs expanded even further. The German took to Twitter to proudly show off his ‘grandchildren’ after Lovik became a father.

I’m a grandpa? #lovikfam pic.twitter.com/z5fTfsUl8j

— Alexander Zverev (@AlexZverev) September 6, 2019

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 4 May 2015. 

Andy Murray captured his first clay-court ATP Tour title at the 2015 BMW Open by FWU.

Then the World No. 3, he won a rain-interrupted Munich final, carried over from Sunday to Monday due to rain, with a 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(4) victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber in three hours and four minutes. The German has since won a record third title at the event.

Murray, who at the time improved to 32-16 in tour-level finals, received €80,000 in prize money and earned 250 FedEx ATP Ranking points. He became the first British player to win a clay-court singles title since Buster Mottram at 1976 Palma.

“It means a lot to have won,” said Murray. “It was my first final on the clay, having lost a few semi-finals at Roland Garros, Rome and Monte-Carlo. We played a very high standard match. I just managed to hang on at the end.

“He served unbelievably well. I had very few chances when I was returning. We may even play one another in Madrid, in a few days’ time [this week]. Philipp is a superb competitor and fought right to the end. It is nice to have won my first clay title and I hope to win another one soon.”

Murray’s clay breakthrough proved to just be the start of an impressive stretch on the surface for him. The following week, he won the Mutua Madrid Open with the loss of only one set. Murray claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a run that included victories against Kohlschreiber, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal. 

The momentum he carried into Madrid could be attributed to the confidence he earned in a tense Munich final against Kohlschreiber.

There were no break points for Murray or Kohlschreiber in the 58-minute opener, which resumed with top-seeded Brit serving at 2-3. Overall, Murray won 24 of his 28 first service points, while fifth seed Kohlschreiber won 21 of 23 in the first set.

In the second set, Murray saved two break points in a 16-point third game. Murray and Kohlschreiber then exchanged service breaks, prior to Kohlschreiber bouncing back from 0/40 at 3-4.

Kohlschreiber broke Murray to 15 for a 6-5 lead, as the match edged closer to the two-hour mark. One hour later, in a tense tie-break, the duo remained locked until Murray won four straight points from 2/3. Murray hit 17 aces to Kohlschreiber’s 11 during their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting. He moved to 5-0 lifetime in ATP Tour finals that have deciding-set tie-breaks.

“It was a great atmosphere and a great crowd,” Kohlschreiber told ATPTour.com. “We both gave everything. It was so close, but at the end there has to be one winner. Unfortunately, for me, it was Andy. It was a fantastic game.

“It was a very special moment for me, in front of a home crowd… I think I pushed Andy to the limit. We had some unbelievable points. I think, for the spectators who came, it was one of the best Munich finals.

“Munich is always very special. It is my best tournament on the tour. I love playing here and on the clay. I don’t want to watch the match tomorrow, but I enjoy playing clay-court tournaments. This gives me a lot of confidence for the future.”

For the first time since they each turned pro, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies find themselves in one place for an extended stretch. The reigning Roland Garros doubles champions are at their respective homes in Germany, but a sedentary lifestyle didn’t sit well with the normally globetrotting duo.

The German pair suddenly had a wealth of free time at their disposal and were eager to use it productively. While Krawietz began to cook more and Mies enjoyed quality time with his family, they also began to think about how they could be of service to their communities.

“We’re in a very privileged position to play tennis and make a living out of our passion since we were little kids. We were able to take our hobby and turn it into a job,” Mies said in an upcoming episode of Tennis United. “Sometimes it’s hard to give back when we’re traveling so much for tournaments, so now was the time to think about what we can do to help.”

Krawietz learned from a friend who manages a few stores in Munich that they needed workers. Three days after offering to help, the 28-year-old clocked in at 5:30am for his first day of work at Lidl, a German supermarket chain. Krawietz has done everything from stocking shelves to disinfecting shopping carts and working security at the front entrance to ensure there are no more than 40 customers inside.

“I was doing security at the front door from 3:00-8:30pm and had to stand the whole time. I was already looking at my watch after 30 minutes and thought it was like a fitness session,” Krawietz joked. “After that, I was thinking that I’m very lucky to have a job where I get to play tennis and travel so much. But even though getting up at 5:00am hurts a bit, it’s been a new experience and fun to talk with my other colleagues.”

The World No. 13 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings hasn’t received any special treatment on the job. He attempted to work at the store anonymously until a German magazine broke the story. But once Krawietz’s boss discovered that his shelf stocker was a professional athlete, he wasn’t exactly compelled to offer a promotion.

“I need five minutes to find the right aisle for everything,” Krawietz said, laughing. “My boss would point at me and my friend, who also used to play professional tennis, and joke about how slow we are.”

Mies opted to lend a hand by teaming up with German football player Bastian Oczipca to deliver fruit to essential workers and the special needs community. The two athletes, who currently serve as ambassadors for the Special Olympics, recently delivered apples to the employees and residents of Lebenshilfe, a non-profit organisation that enables people with intellectual disabilities to lead a more independent life.

Mies and Oczipica were not able to visit the residents personally because they are considered a high-risk population during the pandemic, so they also wrote cards for them. They are encouraging others to do the same through Lebenshilfe’s website and believe that small gestures can still have a meaningful impact.

“We just wanted to make them smile and do our part to help the community,” Mies said. “It doesn’t have to be much. It’s nice to see a lot of players doing things to make people happy and help out their communities.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Gemeinsam mit Bastian Oczipka habe ich der Lebenshilfe leckere Äpfel vorbeigebracht, die unter den Mitarbeitern und Bewohnern verteilt werden. Das Ziel der Lebenshilfe ist es, Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung ein selbstbestimmtes Leben zu ermöglichen. Basti war zu Besuch bei der Lebenshilfe Gelsenkirchen und ich bin bei der Lebenshilfe NRW vorbeigefahren. Wir möchten uns damit bei den Mitarbeitern der Lebenshilfe bedanken und den geistig behinderten Bewohnern eine kleine Freude machen. Leider dürfen wir aktuell nicht persönlich zu den Bewohnern, weil sie zur Risikogruppe gehören und in der momentanen Situation sozial stark isoliert leben. Deshalb haben wir noch jeweils eine Karte an die Bewohner geschrieben, damit sie sich weniger einsam fühlen. Ihr könnt das auch gerne machen! Über die Internetseite lebenshilfe.de/standorte könnt ihr bundesweit sehen, welche Lebenshilfe-Einrichtung bei euch in der Nähe ist und dort ein paar nette Zeilen hinschicken. Die Bewohner freuen sich 🙂 #PostkartengegendieEinsamkeit @lebenshilfenrw @bastianoczipka @specialolympicsnrw #lebenshilfe

A post shared by Andreas Mies (@andreas_mies) on Apr 17, 2020 at 1:03pm PDT

In the newest episode of his Instagram series, “The Self-Mastery Project”, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic went on Instagram Live with extreme athlete Wim Hof to discuss the importance of the mind.

For much of the episode, Djokovic listened to what Hof — who owns the Guinness World Record for fastest half marathon barefoot on ice/snow — had to say. But Djokovic related the Dutchman’s thoughts to the tennis world.

“On the tennis court I can instantly notice the difference in my own perception of this simple experience… when I make the transformation from being in a doubtful state of mind — when I allow maybe some distractions and some environmental factors to affect my focus, my presence — [to] when I’m completely aligned and I basically am present and everything flows. I’m not thinking because it’s automatic, because I already have it inside of me.”

Djokovic noted that he brings to the court confidence that he has put in all the physical and mental training he needs in order to believe he is ready to win the match. That helps him mentally on court.

“I go out and then I know exactly the distinction and when I make this transformation from good to bad or bad to good, whatever direction,” Djokovic said. “It’s really interesting what you’re talking about because I can feel it on the court. It’s the same court, it’s the same opponent, and the level of the quality of tennis doesn’t change much. It’s more or less at the same level. But I control how I feel and how I act in these situations.

“[I control how I feel by] having in a way a consciousness and awareness of this inner conversation of what is going on, the thoughts, ‘Oh, I’m not good enough, he’s great, I’m not feeling well, sun is in my eyes, someone is screaming something from the crowd’. If you start going that route and you have no control over your thoughts and it completely floods you, you’ve lost focus and that’s why you feel completely inferior towards your opponent.”

Under the same circumstances, Djokovic feels maintaining focus and controlling those thoughts could make a big difference in a match.

“Nothing externally has changed, but internally you say to yourself, ‘I trained myself, I know I’m good, I believe in myself, I have confidence in myself, I’m going to execute these shots in the best possible way. Whatever happens, I accept it, I recover, I go to the next one.” And then all of a sudden the whole game, the momentum shifts to your side. It’s really interesting because it all boils down to the power of mind,” Djokovic said. “The power of mind is something that we have, that we possess. We can’t expect someone else to grant us or to give us a gift or present or something that is going to be a cure or a secret of success. We’ve got to do that work ourselves.”

Fans may not be able to watch ATP Tour action right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are in for a special treat on Friday.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray joins legend Billie Jean King and CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour for a special interview to discuss life under lockdown, gender equality in tennis and the future of the sport.

Tune in tomorrow for my exclusive joint interview with tennis legends @BillieJeanKing and @andy_murray. We’ll talk life under lockdown, gender equality in tennis, and the future of their sport. 8pm CET on @cnni, 11pm ET on @PBS (check local listings). pic.twitter.com/K4bXCbXbAZ

— Christiane Amanpour (@camanpour) April 30, 2020

The interview will air on CNN International worldwide at 7p.m. BST. Viewers in the United States will be able to watch the interview on PBS’ ‘Amanpour & Co’ (local listings vary). ATPTour.com will show the clip shortly after it airs.

Watch Livestream (For U.K. Viewers) 

All tennis players know that it’s good to keep things inside the lines.

The same, of course, is true when it comes to colouring. So young fans will be well prepared to enjoy the opportunity to put their own creative stamp on some cool images from the ATP Tour.

ATP and its premier partner Emirates have teamed up to provide some fun activities to occupy young tennis fans during this period of lockdown. In addition to a Fan Essay Contest, the Emirates ATP Kids Hub now offers colouring opportunities for youngsters.

Download one or more of these great tennis images and start colouring!

If needed, download Acrobat Reader to access the colouring pages;

Barcelona Stadium (PDF)

Rafa Fist Pump (PDF)

Monfils Stretch Forehand (PDF)

Monte Carlo Stadium (PDF)

Tsitsipas Backhand (PDF)

Tennis power couple Matteo Berrettini and Ajla Tomljanovic join hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands for episode four of Tennis United. They answer the tough questions, from who takes longer to get ready during quarantine to who has been eating more junk food.

Pospisil and Mattek-Sands investigate the beginnings of Berrettini and Tomljanovic’s relationship.

“He started doing really well so I was like, ‘Alright’,” Tomljanovic joked about her boyfriend, who is No. 8 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I had to fight more outside of the court than on the court,” Berrettini said of courting Tomljanovic.

Another funny moment came when they were discussing whether or not they enjoy practising together. Berrettini claimed Tomljanovic does not.

“It’s not that I don’t like practising together, I did in the beginning,” Tomljanovic said. “But now when it’s more often, the thing is, he wants to get better too and my arm is hurting by like the 40th minute because his forehand is massive!”

Also joining the show are Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Karolina Pliskova and Dayana Yastremska.

Johnson and Querrey take a quiz on Andre Agassi’s career during the same week that the legendary American turned 50. Who won the quiz? Be sure to tune in to find out! 

Watch Previous Tennis United Episodes
Lopez & Azarenka Test Their Memories In Episode 3
Fognini & Pennetta Drop In For Episode 2
Felix & Kenin Help Launch Tennis United

They are two of the rising stars on the ATP Challenger Tour. Jurij Rodionov and J.J. Wolf dominated the circuit in the early months of the 2020 season, combining to win 29 matches and four titles, with both players surging to career highs inside the Top 170 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

We know their accomplishments on the court, but who exactly are the Austrian and the American? What do they value most and what have been their most important experiences?

From Rodionov’s passion for traveling to Wolf’s first encounter with Roger Federer and the impact of his time at Ohio State University, they break down their favourite Instagram posts…

Get To Know: Jurij Rodionov

Get To Know: J.J. Wolf