Zverev Talks About His Nemesis: "I Hate Playing Against Cerundolo"
Alexander Zverev aims to defend his title in Rome. The German world No. 2, who triumphed over Nicolas Jarry in last year's final, spoke at a press conference before opening his Roman campaign against either Pablo Carreño Busta or Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
Having lost to Francisco Cerundolo in the Madrid Open round of 16, Zverev confirmed his struggles against the Argentine, suffering his third defeat in as many meetings against the current world No. 18. It’s a matchup that consistently troubles Zverev, as he himself admitted.
"To be completely honest, yes, I hate playing against him. If I set aside the best players in the world, like Jannik (Sinner) and Carlos (Alcaraz), he’s probably the toughest opponent for me to face," he told *Mundo Deportivo*.
Since the start of last season, the two have met three times: in the Madrid round of 16 last year (6-3, 6-4), the Buenos Aires quarterfinals (3-6, 6-3, 6-2), and again in the Spanish capital’s round of 16 recently (7-5, 6-3), with similar outcomes each time.
After checking the draw, Zverev may have been relieved to see that he can only face Cerundolo in the final. The Argentine, currently ninth in the Race rankings, will take on the winner of the match between last year’s finalist Nicolas Jarry and Hugo Gaston in his opening match in the Italian capital.
As a laboratory for tomorrow’s tennis, does the Next Gen Masters have a future? 
Tennis: the little-known truths about the offseason, between rest, stress and physical survival 
What if tennis lost its soul? The case of robotized officiating, between tradition and a dehumanized modernity 
Features - Saudi Arabia, injuries, war, and business: the fascinating underbelly of tennis revealed by TennisTemple 