Second chance!

The Belgian is ready to take his revenge after his clear defeat against Zverev in Madrid.

Zverev A. dominated Blockx last week in a one-sided match. What actually happened? He did everything better and played a great match, on top of having a match-up advantage. He serves better than Blockx, is just as solid from the baseline, and was much more aggressive. He was never really in danger. The conditions in Madrid were 100% in his favor. In Rome, it’s a bit trickier. Zverev had problems in the first round and apparently he’s been dealing with a minor illness for a few days. Hopefully it gets better. But it shows that he’s a bit worried. As soon as he has the slightest issue, he’s ready to use it as an excuse. We remember that last week, after his first round in Madrid, he had a back problem and it didn’t look good, yet he still went all the way to the final.

Blockx is excited about playing the German again and says he’s going to try two or three different things. At the same time, he has no choice. I think he’s going to try to be much more aggressive and come to the net, given that he was way too passive. I’m a bit on the fence because his first two matches in Rome are good, without being exceptional. I still found him a bit stronger in Madrid and capable of challenging Z, but in Rome a bit less so. On the other hand, as I said, Zverev A. is also a bit less impressive in Rome, so does it balance out?