"To win Grand Slams and become number one in the world" - Alexander Zverev on his future goals
During a recent television appearance on German channel ZDF, Alexander Zverev opened up about a host of topics. Among other things, the 24-year old spoke about how he's handled all the controversies in his life and his goals for the future.
Zverev has been embroiled in a few off-court issues, particularly the domestic violence allegations leveled against him by former girlfriend Olga Sharypova and a lawsuit against his former agent. But the German has learned to handle these difficult moments as he has advanced in age.
"I'm older. I have had many events in my life that have brought unrest. I started to learn and deal with it. Now every decision I make is for myself. At a young age I had no control over what was done to me," Zverev said.
While the ATP has launched an investigation into the domestic violence allegations, Zverev has contested the claims and has fought hard to clear his name.
"I fought for a year. I'm glad that the topic will now come to an end. I was told that all of this will not take long. We are also taking strong action in Russia against it."
Zverev revealed that his goal in this difficult time is to become a stronger person with a greater sense of self-belief. While the German has already done a lot in his career, he says there is still a lot more to achieve. In particular, he wants to win a Grand Slam and become the top ranked player in the world.
"I have made it my goal to emerge stronger from moments like this. If at the end of the day you don't believe in yourself, who is going to do it?" Zverev said. "There are two that I haven't reached yet. To win Grand Slams and become number one in the world. I hope that all of this may already happen in Australia," he added.
Alexander Zverev urges ATP to "do something" regarding Peng Shuai's situation
The tennis fraternity and the world at large were shocked by the accusations made by Peng Shuai against a senior Chinese politician. While the WTA has canceled its tournaments in China due to improper handling of the matter, the ATP has done no such thing.
Alexander Zverev expressed his concern regarding the matter and hopes the ATP will take action soon.
"I'm not a politician, I don't know exactly what's going on, but we all don't know that. I hope that more will come to light at some point and then hopefully the ATP will say something about it - and hopefully do something. I think that the tennis organizations and our tour will take care of the problem," Zverev said.
Zverev further added that living in Germany might make people oblivious to issues of dictatorship, referring to the manner in which Peng Shuai was silenced by her government.
Zverev on Peng Shuai: "I hope more news will come and then hopefully the ATP will do something. We live in 2021, in Germany, and we think there is no longer anything like this in the world. But this case shows dictatorship is still there." (Via ZDF)