Reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev has reiterated that he has no desire to play in the Davis Cup Finals this year because he wants to win ‘the real’ tournament.
The world No.4 has been one of the most outspoken critics of the historic team competition which has undergone significant changes in recent years. Following an official vote in 2018, the International Tennis Federation gave the green light for the Davis Cup final to be changed into a weeklong knockout event featuring 18 teams. The event is now run by investment company Kosmos who have already pledged to invest into the competition over a 25-year period.
For the first time this year’s Finals is being held in multiple countries with the title tie taking place in Madrid. One of the host countries is Innsbruck in Austria where Germany will play their group matches. Questioned by local media on Saturday ahead of this week’s Vienna Open, Zverev has called for the format to be adjusted.
“The format has to change and I’m sticking to it. I’m someone who’s keeping my word. I want to win the Davis Cup, but I want to win the real Davis Cup,” he stated.
Zverev has represented his country in five Davis Cup ties so far in his career with the most recent of those occurring in February 2019. Overall, he has a win-loss record of 6-5 in the competition with all of those victories occurring in the singles.
Besides the Davis Cup, the 24-year-old has also spoken out about the upcoming Australian Open and the possible entry requirements. Government officials have previously indicated that it is likely that those wanted to play in the Grand Slam will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so. Although no formal announcement has been made yet.
Zverev believes everybody has a right to decide if they wish to be vaccinated but says it should be a private matter. Echoing similar comments which has been previously made by Novak Djokovic who has refused to disclose his vaccination status to the public.
“Everyone has the right to decide for themselves. I only know that the rules in Australia are such that non-vaccinated people are probably not allowed to play, me I don’t have the problem,” he said. “But I’m not someone who speaks about it publicly either. I think it’s a private topic and everyone can decide for themselves. “
Zverev will be the second seed at the Vienna Open behind Stefanos Tsitsipas. He is bidding to become the first German to win the tournament since Tommy Haas back in 2013. So far this season he has already won four titles. Besides the Olympics, he has claimed two Masters 1000 trophies and an ATP 500 title.
“I’m happy to be back in Vienna. I really like Vienna as a city. I also like the city hall and hope that I can show good tennis here.” He concluded.
In the first round of Vienna Zverev will start against Filip Krajinovic.
