Italian Open: Fully Divided Views as Alexander Zverev’s Opponent Receive Solid Backing From Ex-WTA Pro

It’s time to ring the bell for the mega clash on Super Sunday at the 2024 Italian Open. German tennis star Alexander Zverev takes on Chilean superstar Nicolas Jarry in the finals of the 2024 Italian Open. Zverev has already won the title in Rome in 2017. Nicolas Jarry on the other hand became the first Chilean to reach the Masters 1000 final for the first time since Fernando Gonzalez in 2007. But who do you think has the edge in this contest?

Former WTA star Monica Puig recently made a thorough analysis of the grand finale on the TC Live Podcast. She gave both the players a tiny bit of advice for the epic contest.

Alexander Zverev hasn’t dropped a set in this tournament before the semifinals. He has displayed an aggressive brand of tennis by dominating his opponents in his previous matches. But in the semis, he looked a bit shaky against the other Chilean, Alejandro Tabilo. In that three-set thriller, Zverev hit ten aces but committed five double faults. His first-serve win percentage was around 80% but it dropped significantly to 45% on the second-serve.

Reflecting more on the weak points of Zverev, Monica Puig stated, “Think he (Zverev) needs to take control of the baseline and still be aggressive and take it to Jarry and still be the one who’s dictating play. He needs to serve really well. And he needs to be ready for the bombs that are going to come his way off of Jarry’s serve. I think he needs to get them on the move.” She advised the German to mix some drop shots if he has the opportunity to bring them forward. Alexander Zverev hit the most number of double faults on the men’s tour in 2016 & 2020, so that remains a major concern in his game.

However, he has improved a lot this year and hit 246 aces committing just 40 double faults. His first-serve win percentage is around 74% while it’s 56% on the second serve in this season. Interestingly, Alexander Zverev has won 90% of his service games this season. Will the aggressive baseliner, who often tends to sit back at his baseline and hit powerful groundstrokes toward the opponent, make full use of Puig’s advice in the final? Well, time will tell but Monica Puig has some advice for his opponent too!

She spoke about how Nicolas Jarry comes to the net but doesn’t look entirely comfortable when he’s up there sometimes. Monica Puig added, “Jarry needs to kind of maybe put those nerves you know that he’s gonna be feeling nerves it’s it’s a final of a Masters 1000. But he needs to put that aside and kind of figure out the ways that that he can make Zverev feel uncomfortable.” She highlighted how Nicolas Jarry needs to convert half chance in the game right from the word go to stand a chance against the number 5. Both the players heaped praise on each other ahead of the finals in Rome.

“I think Nicolas is one of the most aggressive players” – Alexander Zverev

Before facing yet another Top 10 tennis star, Nicolas Jarry said Alexander Zverev is a “very good” player and he’s really a “tough guy to beat.“ Jarry went on to add that the 2017 Italian Open champion has an “Amazing backhand, good serve. He’s playing very good tennis right now.” But he stressed the fact that he just wants to continue his game and be aggressive against the German. Nicolas Jarry got some confidence after defeating America’s Tommy Paul in the semis. He now wants to continue a similar brand of tennis and “try to be moving the ball with the forehand, serving good, consistent, and being strong mentally.“

While Alexander Zverev said, “I think Nicolas is one of the most aggressive players we have on the tour.” He knows Jarry loves to serve big. And he is very much impressed with the way the Chilean has performed in this tournament. But Zverev currently leads the H2H by a 4-2 margin. So, he definitely knows a way or two to tackle this Chilean better than anyone else. Who is your pick in this Grand Finale?