Five reasons why hometown star Zverev can defend Hamburg crown

Alexander Zverev is set to compete on home soil at the Hamburg Open, where he is the defending champion and top seed. Here are five reasons why the 27-year-old is the man to beat at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Germany.

1. He Snapped Germany’s 30-year Hamburg Duck
Twelve months ago, Zverev did not drop a set en route to the title in Hamburg, where he beat Laslo Djere in straight sets in the final. By triumphing, he became the first German to win in Hamburg since Michael Stich in 1993.

“At the end of the day, this is my home, this is where I grew up, and this where I started playing tennis,” said Zverev at the time. “It was incredible for me, incredibly emotional. I can’t describe it in words, I’m just super happy right now.”

2. Happy At Home
The German has an impressive record on home soil. Zverev, who has also reached two other semi-finals in Hamburg aside from his title run, won in Munich in 2017 and 2018 and triumphed twice in Cologne in 2020.

After his triumph last year, the 22-time tour-level titlist is 12-5 in Hamburg. He will begin trying to improve that record this year in a first-round clash against Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong.

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3. In The Groove On Clay
Zverev has produced some of his best tennis this year on clay, highlighted by his title run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome in May. The German dropped just one set en route to the crown, his second triumph in the Eternal City after he also won there in 2017.

The 27-year-old then advanced to his second major final and first on clay at Roland Garros. Zverev, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets at the Paris major, is 16-4 on the surface this year. Can he extend that winning record further in Hamburg?

4. Back To His Best
Zverev’s title run in Hamburg in 2023 was extra special, with it being his first since he suffered a horrific ankle injury at Roland Garros in 2022.  Zverev was forced to retire during his semi-final with Rafael Nadal at the clay major that year. He suffered the injury at the end of the second set of an enthralling encounter with nearly three hours already on the clock, and it caused him to miss the rest of that season before he returned to tour-level action in Australia in January 2023.

Since then, Zverev has gone from strength to strength. He returns to his hometown this year as the No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having added ATP Tour titles in Chengdu and Rome to his tally since his Hamburg triumph last year.

5. Frontrunner
Zverev is 29-3 in matches where he has won the first set this year, having proven himself to be a difficult man to reel in if he gets ahead in a match.

One of the biggest reasons for Zverev’s record as a frontrunner is his serve, which is one of the biggest on Tour. The German has a first-serve average speed of 128mph this season, according to TennisViz, 14mph faster than the Tour average of 116mph. The World No. 4 backs up his pinpoint first deliveries with powerful groundstrokes to dictate.

Zverev’s longevity in rallies is also key to his success, particularly on clay. The 27-year-old acts as a brick wall at times to win lengthy exchanges, having this year won 54 per cent of points that last between five and eight rally shots on all surfaces.

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