ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

November 8, 2020

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. Zverev

5-7, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I wanted to find out if you could describe what you thought was the turning point of the match. Also, did the lengthy rallies that you and Daniil shared in the second and third sets begin to wear you down at all?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I was tired. At the end of the second set I was tired. I was dead. The third set was always going to be very difficult for me.

I had a very extremely physical match against Mannarino, which wore me down a lot. I didn't have quite the energy to finish it off.

I knew that I had to win in two sets, and once I lost the second set I knew it was going to be difficult, especially against him who is not somebody who is very wild. You know, he's very composed. He's gonna make you run, he's gonna make you run for every point.

Yeah, it was difficult at the end.

Q. You said on court that a lot of people are trying to wipe the smile off your face, and you're smiling underneath your mask. Can you explain what you meant?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I mean, just a lot of... For a professional athlete there are always going to be people who try to wipe the smile off your face. So they can keep trying (smiling). I'm still smiling.

Q. Congratulations for a great run in Paris. You mentioned the impending parenthood as the next breakthrough moment in your life. How are you preparing --

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I can't understand you. I think your connection is not so well.

Q. Is it better now?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. Maybe try to turn off your video and then just do audio. Maybe it will be better.

Q. I apologize.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No worries.

Q. Is it better now?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, now I can't hear anything.

Q. You mentioned on court that you're preparing for parenthood, so I just wanted to see whether you have sought some advice from your older colleagues such as Novak or Roger about this?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No. I have my brother. That's enough.

Q. Talking about Daniil. You said he's not very wild in his way of playing. What is it that is so difficult against him? Because he just seems to be so relentlessly accurate and just chipping away. Is that what's most difficult? What's the most difficult thing about playing him?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Once you get a little bit tight against him, he wears you down. He wears you down even more. He makes you run, he makes you move.

And, yeah, as I said, the Mannarino match wore me down because Mannarino is a similar kind of player. He wears you down a lot as well. He plays very flat. It's very long rallies all the time. Against Daniil you don't really have free points.

So that was a bit difficult, but, you know, credits to him. He's a great player. It's his first tournament win of the season. I know his season wasn't the easiest one, whereas I have to say my season actually going quite well.

We'll see. We will see how it goes with London. I'm happy with my tennis. I just need to maybe recover a little bit physically.

Q. You had a very good run since the summer, since tennis is back. Can you imagine what would be 2021 season in the same kind of context? I mean, closed door and bubble most of the time. Is it something if you are able to support for one season long?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Nicola, you understood more than I did or no? I think it's maybe our connection. Everybody is struggling.

THE MODERATOR: Can you repeat? Everybody, try to take the video off so we get a better reception.

Q. You have had a good run since this summer since the tour is back. But I was asking, how do you imagine 2021 season that would be 100%, almost 100% behind closed doors, and with the bubbles everywhere because of the pandemic? Is it something you already thought about and do you think you would afford it easily?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I'm playing quite okay without closed doors (smiling). I do miss the fans a lot, especially in US Open final or the final here, I do miss the fans a lot.

But we all just have to be happy to be playing tennis and we all just have to be thankful for the opportunities that we get. Because other sports don't get them, and we do. So it's great to kind of be playing.