Alexander Zverev’s medical issues continue to be a concern after it was confirmed he has been forced to pull out of Germany’s Davis Cup tie against Hungary.
Zverev was hampered by a virus as surrendered a two set lead to lose against his old foe Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open semi-finals last month, after a thrilling victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round.
Now Germany coach Michael Kohlmann has confirmed the late withdrawal of his star player in what is a hammer blow to their hopes of making it through to the Davis Cup Group Stage Finals in September. “We hoped until the very end that Alexander would be able to support us against Hungary after his strong performances in Australia,” said Kohlmann.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for him to get fit in time. Now we have to stand together as a team to compensate for his absence Meanwhile, Serbia’s Davis Cup captain Viktor Troicki has opened up on why Novak Djokovic will not be playing for his team in their Qualifier against Slovakia in Kraljevo, as he gave his verdict on Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open win over the world No 1.
Djokovic’s 33-game unbeaten run in Melbourne came to an end as he was handed a comprehensive defeat by eventual champion Sinner in the semi-finals.
The 10-time Australian Open champion suggested he was struggling with a virus that affected his performance over the course of the tournament, yet Troicki suggested he came up against an opponent playing with a free spirit.
When asked whether Sinner’s victory against Djokovic in last November’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, the Serbia captain offered up this response. “Sinner was freer in that match in Australia because he won it the last time in Malaga and he pulled off that win incredibly,” he said.
“But Nole was not, let’s say, convincing from the beginning of the tournament, somehow we haven’t seen his sharpness since the start of the competition. I think he can do much better than that and he himself is aware of it.
“Young players are getting better and better, they are freer, they are progressing: Sinner, Alcaraz, Medvedev, the same constant. It is not easy to maintain that continuity and always be in top form. That’s obvious. Unfortunately, he lost this time, but we all know he doesn’t give up and I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
He also suggested he was not expecting the world No 1 to support his team-mates by attending their tie against Slovakia after he missed three match points to take Serbia into the final in his epic match with Sinner last year.
“I don’t believe he will come, he is in Spain with his family,” he added. “What happened in Malaga is not the distant past, unfortunately. It hurt a lot and it still hurts, we all know how close we were, but that’s what happened to the best player of all time.
