Alexander Zverev has been told he has an issue that was ‘exploited’ by Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells this year.
Zverev reached the semifinals of Indian Wells for the first time this year, having beaten the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils and Matteo Berrettini.
Although he achieved his best ever result at Indian Wells last week, Zverev was once again beaten by Sinner, who he has now lost his last six matches against.
After being criticised for playing too passively in big matches in recent years, the German has tried to play more aggressively this year, which Zverev has been told was a mistake against Sinner at Indian Wells, and now another issue with his new game style has been pointed out.
Steve Flink thinks Alexander Zverev will always have a forehand issue
Sinner was physically hampered in his match against Zverev, but he was still able to win 6-2, 6-4.
While Zverev achieved his best ever result at Indian Wells this year, Tennis Hall of Fame journalist Steve Flink was left ‘very disappointed’ by his performance against Sinner.
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When speaking about Zverev on The Inside-In Tennis Podcast, Flink claimed that his new aggressive game exposes his forehand that can break down sometimes, and which therefore Sinner was able to exploit.
“I was very disappointed,” Flink said about Zverev’s performance against Sinner. “Zverev had had an easy time, you know he had one tough match against [Brandon] Nakashima, but otherwise he was rolling. You know, he had beaten Fils, so he certainly was rested.
“You know, he has talked about how he wants to play. I think the problem that he has got, particularly if he is playing an in-form Jannik or obviously Carlos [Alcaraz] too.
“It’s nice to say, ‘I’m going to be more aggressive, I’m no longer going to lose because I’m too timid. I’m going to hit through that forehand, I’m going to flatten it out and if I’m going to lose, I’m going to lose on my terms and by playing the way I would really like to play, freed up’.
“But, I think the problem is, I honestly think that that forehand is always going to be an issue. There will be some days where it’s better than others, but when he forces himself to go for more there are days where it breaks down, and this was one of them. And Sinner sensed that and he exploited it, and it’s not that it’s a terrible weakness, but it’s not the reliable weapon that we see from a [Novak] Djokovic or Sinner or most of the time with Carlos.
“Because Carlos did have a slightly off day with his forehand against [Daniil] Medvedev, but obviously it’s a great stroke that he can nearly always count on…But I think it’s a catch-22 with Zverev. You want to play that way, but sometimes you are not going to pull those shots off and you will miss too much and this was a very disappointing match.
“Going in I thought it would be at least be close, I thought he might even take a set. I wasn’t thinking he’d win, but I thought it was important to show that he could make it hard-fought, tight and up for grabs, but it just wasn’t…It has to really disturb him that perhaps the gap is widening.”
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Zverev will now look to put his defeat to Sinner at Indian Wells behind him, as he now competes at the Miami Open, where he reached the final in 2018.
The world number three was tested by American Brandon Nakashima in Indian Wells, and Zverev could face him again in the third round of the Miami Open.
Zverev could play Sinner if he reaches the semifinals of the Miami Open, and he will be looking for a better outcome on this occasion.
Before he can even think about the latter stages of the Miami Open, Zverev will await the winner of the match between Jacob Fearnley and Martin Damm.
Zverev will play his opening match at the Miami Open this year on Friday, March
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