Alexander Zverev, ranked No. 5, had a dominant campaign at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, dropping only one set en route to winning a gold medal for his country. The German defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, before swatting aside Russia’s Karen Khachanov in straight sets in the championship match.
In the aftermath of his victory, Zverev claimed that winning gold for his country at the quadrennial event was perhaps the “greatest thing you can achieve in sport”. The 23-year-old, however, does not plan on donning the German colors for the Davis Cup.
Zverev said he hopes to participate in the team competition in the future, but only if it reverts to its old format.
The format of the Davis Cup was changed for the first time in its 121-year history in 2019. The scoring was changed from best-of-five sets to best-of-three, and the number of matches in each tie was reduced from five to three.
Further changes were introduced this year, most striking of which was the abandonment of the home-and-away format in favor of a ‘Finals’ week where the 18 best teams fight for the trophy in three different venues – Madrid, Innsbruck and Turin.
Zverev, who has voiced his displeasure with the changes in the past, doubled down on his stance on Wednesday.
“Olympic experience par excellence” - Alexander Zverev on his time at the Olympic Village
During the interaction with Bild, Zverev spoke warmly about his time at the Olympic Village in Tokyo. The German said his experience at the quadrennial event was “more than excellent”, and asserted that he was proud to have brought home a medal.
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