INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 14, 2022

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

S. TSITSIPAS/A. Zverev

4-6, 6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Today we saw another chapter of a rivalry that will last I hope for many years. I would like to ask you what have you in common with Tsitsipas and will you ever be friends?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: You're trying to get a controversy out of me, which you're not going to get.

I think my relationship with Stefanos has been quite good over the last I would say two years, three years since we played Laver Cup together. I don't have any problems with him.

I congratulated him today. I wished him the best of luck for tomorrow's final. But we are competitors, so at the end of the day when we're going on court we're trying to win.

But I don't have any issues with him.

Q. What have you in common?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: What do I have in common with him?

Q. Yes, like style of playing.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, the styles of play are very different. I think he has a lot more spin on the shots. A one-handed backhand. Uses the slice a little bit more. I think I'm more the hard-hitting guy. He has more variety to his game.

I don't think our games are that common, to be honest.

Q. What do you think was the problem in your second and third set? Is because Stefanos play greater tennis than you or do you have another explanation for the second or third set?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I think I gave away the break too early in the second set. I think since then he started playing much better. I think my level went down a little bit. I returned much worse, I think, the next two sets than I did in the first set.

But also, I mean, I got a little bit tired, to be honest. I played the final Madrid. Played long matches here. I mean, I'm not a machine. I'm a human being. This is normal.

But he played well in the end. He deserves to win. He played better than me in the second and third set.