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World no. 6 Alexander Zverev will not lead Germany in the upcoming Davis Cup Qualifiers tie against Hungary in Tatabanya. Zverev is yet to recover from an illness he experienced in Melbourne, needing more time off the court following a heartbreaking Australian Open loss.
The German is 9-2 in 2024, leading his country toward the United Cup trophy and reaching the semi-final in Melbourne. Alexander stood on the verge of his second Major final in the clash against Daniil Medvedev, winning the opening two sets before experiencing a massive 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 loss in four hours and 18 minutes!
Zverev did not feel at his best, especially after the second set, struggling with a fever and failing to seal the deal in the tie break of sets three and four.
Daniil raised his level after the second set, serving well and prevailing in the pivotal moments to introduce a decider.
Zverev sprayed 20 unforced errors in the encounter's final part, losing ground and experiencing another blow at Majors. Daniil served at 48% in the opener and struggled behind the second serve, losing serve three times. The German grabbed four straight breaks and forged a 4-1 lead in no time.
The Russian pulled one break back and desired another return game at 4-5. Zverev served for the set in game ten and played a couple of loose forehands to drop serve and bring his rival back to 5-5. Alexander stayed focused and clinched another break in game 11 with a lob winner, moving in front and serving for the set for the second time.
Alexander Zverev will skip the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Hungary.
The German erased two break points in the 12th game, closing it with a volley winner for 7-5 after 58 minutes. Alexander served well in the second set, facing no break points.
The better-ranked player could not follow that pace, getting broken two times and moving closer to the exit door. Zverev clinched a break in game five with a forced error and delivered another at 5-3 after Medvedev's forehand error, forging a massive advantage after an hour and 43 minutes.
With no room for errors, Daniil lost seven points behind the initial shot in the third set, keeping the pressure on the other side. Alexander saved two break points at 1-1 and faced the third in game nine. He saved it after the rival's loose forehand, and they served well to introduce a tie break.
Medvedev clinched it 7-4 to reduce the deficit and improve his chances. Zverev survived two break points at 3-4 in the fourth set, and they served well in the remaining ones to introduce the second straight tie break.
Daniil hit a costly double fault at 4-4, sending Alexander two points away from the finish line. However, the Russian pulled the mini-break and created a set point after a lucky return winner at 5-5. World no. 3 seized a set point with an ace, introducing a decider after three hours and 40 minutes and gathering a massive boost.
The fifth set saw four comfortable holds for 2-2 before Zverev faced issues. He sprayed a forehand error on the third break point, losing serve and pushing his opponent closer to the finish line. Daniil held at love in game six for 4-2 and maintained the advantage with a service winner in game eight.
Alexander served to stay in the match at 3-5 and faced a match point after a wayward backhand. The German sealed his fate with a forehand mistake, propelling the Russian into the title clash. After missing the Davis Cup action, Zverev should stay away from the court until Los Cabos which starts on February 19.