Alexander Zverev reveals he won't play Davis Cup as he needs a vacation, says he will participate in future editions if it switches back to old format
Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev has disclosed that he'll be skipping this year's Davis Cup finals, which will be held from 25 November to 5 December. The German plans to go on a vacation after a potentially grueling season.
Alexander Zverev, ranked No. 5, had a dominant campaign at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, dropping only one set en route to winning a gold medal for his country. The German defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, before swatting aside Russia's Karen Khachanov in straight sets in the championship match.
In the aftermath of his victory, Zverev claimed that winning gold for his country at the quadrennial event was perhaps the "greatest thing you can achieve in sport". The 23-year-old, however, does not plan on donning the German colors for the Davis Cup.
"I am human too and I need to go on holidays sometimes. We play from January to October. I won't play in this mode in November," Alexander Zverev told Bild.
Zverev said he hopes to participate in the team competition in the future, but only if it reverts to its old format.
The format of the Davis Cup was changed for the first time in its 121-year history in 2019. The scoring was changed from best-of-five sets to best-of-three, and the number of matches in each tie was reduced from five to three.
Further changes were introduced this year, most striking of which was the abandonment of the home-and-away format in favor of a 'Finals' week where the 18 best teams fight for the trophy in three different venues -- Madrid, Innsbruck and Turin.
Zverev, who has voiced his displeasure with the changes in the past, doubled down on his stance on Wednesday.
"Hopefully I will play this event in the future when it will switch back to the old format and with home fans," Zverev added.
"Olympic experience par excellence" - Alexander Zverev on his time at the Olympic Village
During the interaction with Bild, Zverev spoke warmly about his time at the Olympic Village in Tokyo. The German said his experience at the quadrennial event was "more than excellent", and asserted that he was proud to have brought home a medal.
"The reception of the German team in the Olympic village was at least a small consolation. I have never felt such cohesion in such a large group. This is my Olympic experience par excellence, and so I'm proud to have won gold for all of these athletes and Germany, not just for me," Zverev said.