Alexander Zverev burst into the Shanghai Masters Round of 16 yesterday, but the win he needed to get there was far from easy.
After all, of the two sets he would eventually claim over Tallon Griekspoor, both came by way of tiebreak. It took eight match points before he could snag victory.
And, speaking after the clash, he was supremely complimentary of the Dutchman.
Alexander Zverev left stunned by Tallon Griekspoor
Chatting on the court immediately after his hard-fought win, Alexander Zverev could not have been more effusive in his praise for his opponent.
In fact, he even argued that Griekspoor, with a little focus, could quite easily smash into the top ten soon enough.
The German claimed: ‘It was a tough match going back and forth. I thought that he was a bit lucky during the third set and I got very lucky in the tiebreak. They kind of equalled each other out but incredible match.
‘He’s an incredible player, somebody I always struggle against. We always have extremely tough matches and for me personally he should be a lot higher ranked than he is.
‘He needs to look at why maybe he’s not playing like that every single week because if he would be playing like that he would be a contender for big tournaments, he could be top ten, top 15 in the world.
‘For me, he’s an incredible player.’
How is Alexander Zverev’s fitness?
Although he did eventually grind out the win, it was far from easy for Zverev.
And, whilst he admitted to always struggling against Griekspoor, some of that could also be attributed to an ongoing issue that he admits he cannot shake.
Zverev issued a fitness update earlier this month, noting: ‘I have an inflammation in my lung. It’s going to take about two, three months to be completely gone. Why I pulled out of Beijing was because I was quite sick.
‘I had quite a high fever during the Laver Cup and after the Laver Cup. I ended up in hospital. I didn’t feel great and just didn’t have the energy to play. I was on antibiotics for a week. I feel better now, but, of course, the issue with my lung is not gone, it’s still there.
‘It’s nothing that will delay the recovery or will make it worse if I play, that’s what the doctor said, and that’s why I’m here (at the Shanghai Masters), and I’m happy to give my 100 percent of what I have.’
To continue playing with this ailment is really impressive, but he will need to be careful should he want to manage himself back to full health.
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