"He's the best guy for this" - Zverev hopeful Sergi Bruguera longtime solution as coach

Sunday, 01 May 2022 at 22:15

Updated at Saturday, 22 June 2024 at 17:56

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byZachary Wimer

After a turbulent start to the 2022 season, Alexander Zverev is looking to get back on track with the help of recently appointed coach Sergi Bruguera.

The German player has been without a coach for some time, and it's worked out well for him. He won a few events last year and finished off the year in strong fashion at the ATP Finals in Turin.

Now, he's finally found a coach, who could work with him, and it's Sergi Bruguera. He's a two-time French Open champion who also served as Spain's Davis Cup Team Captain.

His former trainees include Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Speaking to reporters at La Caja Magica, the venue of the Madrid Open, Zverev refused to put a timeline on how long the two may work together but is hopeful that it will be 'for a very long time.'

"Obviously I have been without a coach, like a real coach for six, seven months now, since my father had some other things that he had to deal with. At the end of the day, I thought that it’s not going to be such a long time."

"I thought my father would be back maybe a little bit sooner, but it is what it is. There are sometimes more important things than tennis and I need a coach. I need guidance. I need somebody who can look out for what is going on on the tennis court. I think Serg is one of the best guys for this."

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Zverev initially hoped to work with David Ferrer but the Spaniard recommended his compatriot Bruguera instead, and the young player listened to the advice.

"I talked to David Ferrer again because for me he’s a great guy. He said that at the moment he has a lot of other things to do, and he’s the one that suggested Sergi Bruguera- We tried in Miami and it worked out very well. We get along extremely well on the court. Hopefully, it will be a successful relationship."

The German player was also asked about his recent Munich Open disappointment when he lost to Holger Rune in two sets 3-6, 2-6. He was aware of things that went badly and wants to change them in the Spanish capital.

"I played a very bad match. I didn’t die or I didn’t get injured or something like this. It was just a very bad match in Munich. I’m happy to be here (in Madrid). This is obviously one of my favourite places in the world to play tennis. So we will see how this week goes but I’m excited, I’m motivated."