Alexander Zverev seems to really struggle to make it right from a PR point of view. The German ace has many likable aspects of his character but for some reason he struggles to make a good impression on the wide public. Sascha is a great “product” for tennis. He is extremely good-looking, he has won already many important titles, he seems to be destined to stay in the top10 for long (to get lots of valuable air time on TV), and he gives highly entertaining speeches. Also, Sascha has been associated for a long time with Roger Federer that is arguably the most loved tennis player in history.

Finally, Sascha has the luck of being part of a very nice family that has good values. However, he has been struggling and this is why.

Perceived as arrogant?

Unfortunately, things went quite sideways for him. On some occasions, he came out as arrogant. For example, when he lost to Tsitsipas in 2018 he failed to acknowledge his conqueror, saying that he lost just because he played extremely badly and the Greek didn’t play that well. That stayed in the mind of the fans also because at that time, Tsitsipas was “just” an up and coming player, and that win was very important for him.

Every now and then, the German is used to come out with arrogant statements. In a way, they are understandable since he is still a very young guy that is through a lot of pressure.

PR disaster

2020 was a sheer disaster for Sascha from a PR point of view. Zverev was overloading his social media with pictures of him and his stunning (now ex) girlfriend Brenda Patea, featuring him driving a great life (some people do not like that if they already perceive you as arrogant). The German failed to keep his promise to self-isolate after participating in the controversial Adria Tour. Instead, he was spotted partying in the south of France with some models. The video went viral and Sascha was criticized from all over the places.

What really backfired on Zvere was the fact that the pledge to auto-isolate came out with an official statement. Unfortunately, breaking that solemn and responsible promise made him a liar in the eyes of many tennis fans.

LOSS OF CREDIBILITY: Paternity, domestic violence

Things for even worse for Sascha during the last few weeks. It was disclosed that his former girlfriend, Brenda Patea, is pregnant with his baby. Soon after, another ex-girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, accused him of domestic violence, even alleging that he tried to strangle her. The allegations have to be verified, but the damage was caused.

Sascha hired Bela Anda, that is a

crisis management PR specialist. He was the spokesperson of the German government and head of the German Federal Government’s Press and Information Office.

Apparently, that is not working well at least from a media point of view. Sascha (or better his team) released a rather lame statement denying the accusations of Olya. However, Sascha credibility was already undermined after he broke his promise to self-isolate (as above).

I am still smiling

Zverev once again attracted the attention for the wrong reason when during the runner-up speech after the final of the recent ATP1000 said that despite losing and all the accusations, under his face mask he was still smiling. Once again, Sascha came out as arrogant and defiant.

Latest PR disaster

Things got even worse after a video circulated on social media featuring Sascha replying to yet another question about the domestic violence accusations. Zverev was caught answering awkwardly reading notes on his cellphone that was (sort of) hidden on his leg. Obviously, that corroborates the feeling of some fans that he is not sincere when he talks.

Probably Sascha is looking forward to resting during the off season. However, in the last 2 years, he spent the off seasons with his former girlfriends. It’s time for him to take a proper rest this year and regroup. He has plenty of time to bounce back, but he really needs to gather his thoughts. Unfortunately, these controversies will stay with him for his entire career.

Next match vs. Schwartzman

Sascha will face Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in his next match in London. They played each other 4 times. The head to head is 2-2. The last time that they played, Alexander Zverev won 6-2 6-1 in the final in Cologne (Bett1HULKS Championships) on the 25th of October 2020.

In the following video you can watch the highlights.

 

Alexander Zverev in 2020

Currently the world no.7, the German played his last contest on the 8th of November when he was overcome by Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-1 in the final in Paris.

This season Alexander has a composed 27-9 match record. Alexander conquered 2 titles in 2020 in Cologne and in Cologne. The German was the finalist at the U.S. Open and in Paris.

 

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman in 2020

At the moment ranked no.9, Diego played his last match on the 16th of November when he surrendered to Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals.

Diego Sebastian Schwartzman’s best performance of this season was reaching the final in Cordoba, Rome and Cologne.