"My brother was throwing me 48 different signs" - Alexander Zverev clarifies his dispute with brother Mischa during ATP Finals win over Carlos Alcaraz
Alexander Zverev has shed light on a moment of frustration he experienced with his brother Mischa at the 2024 ATP Finals. The seemingly contentious incident took place during the German's riveting clash with Carlos Alcaraz in Turin.
Fresh off his triumph at the Paris Masters, Zverev extended his winning streak at the year-end championships, claiming straight-set wins over Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud. Squaring off against Alcaraz in his final group stage encounter, the World No. 2 secured a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory to dash the Spaniard's hopes of qualifying for the semifinals.
The German's father and coach Alexander Zverev Sr. along with his brother Mischa supported him from his player's box during the thrilling one-hour and 57-minute encounter. However, there was a moment when the 27-year-old appeared frustrated with his brother's aid.
Alexander Zverev clarified the situation in his post-match press conference, explaining that it wasn't a disagreement. Instead, the German disclosed that he was seeking his brother's advice on how to position himself on second-serve returns.
"The second one, to my brother, no, there wasn't a disagreement or anything. I was just asking where I should stand on the second serve returns. He was showing me about 15 different signs (smiling), while this whole stadium was dark," Alexander Zverev said.
However, the World No. 2 shared that he had to turn to his father for "more simple" instructions after Mischa confused him by showing "48 different signs" that were too complicated to understand.
"You have to ask him what he was trying to show me. I went to my dad to keep it more simple. He told me to step back on the second serve return, which was a great suggestion compared to my brother who was throwing me 48 different sign languages and signs, which I didn't understand a single one of them, yeah," he added.
Alexander Zverev: "I'm not volleying like my brother yet, that's why I'm not No. 1 in the world"
During the same press conference, Alexander Zverev addressed former Swiss player Marc Rosset's suggestion that he needed to emulate his brother Mischa's volleying skills to become World No. 1. The German conceded that this area of his game was still a work in progress, joking that it was the reason why he hadn't attained the top spot in the rankings yet.
"Well, it's for sure a subject that we're working on 100%. I'm not volleying like my brother yet. That's why I'm not No. 1 in the world, but No. 2 (smiling). I still have something to improve for next year. Hopefully I can do that," Zverev said.
Zverev will continue his hunt for his third ATP Finals title against Taylor Fritz in the semifinals in Turin. The American advanced to the final four after beating Danill Medvedev and Alex de Minaur in the group stage while falling short against Jannik Sinner.
Fritz enjoys a 6-5 lead in his head-to-head record against Alexander Zverev, including a 6-4, 7-5 win in their most recent encounter at the 2024 Laver Cup. The World No. 5 also knocked the German out of Wimbledon and the US Open earlier this year.