Zverev seeks six of the best in Beijing

BEIJING: Rising star Alexander Zverev said that he is blocking out the growing hype surrounding his fast emergence, as he makes his tilt at China Open glory this week.

The 20-year-old German is seeking his sixth title of a breakthrough season and with the old guard of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all missing in Beijing, Zverev fancies his chances.

The second seed starts his assault on the open-air hard courts in the Chinese capital against Britain’s Kyle Edmund tomorrow and could face seventh seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals.

The Australian Nick Kyrgios, who on his day can compete with the best, is a potential semi-final opponent, with world No. 1 Rafael Nadal looming in the final if the Spaniard successfully navigates his tricky side of the draw.

Zverev, the world No. 4, said his aim for next season is to go further in the Grand Slams – his best showing is reaching the fourth round this year at Wimbledon.

But he is prepared to bide his time. “I’m still only 20 years old, you can’t have it all, unfortunately, but it’s not going bad,” he said.

Asked about the pressure that comes with his growing fame, he replied: “I’ve been dealing with expectations from a very young age so I’ve learnt how to deal with them.

“But it gets more and more the higher you are ranked, but look, I try not to listen too much to what other people expect from me or think of me.

“I do care about the people that are close to me, my team and my family, but everyone else I try not to focus on too much.

“Of course it’s nice to hear from great players what they think I might become one day, but this is still in the future and it’s a work in progress.” — AFP