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Top-ranked German tennis player Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from this week's Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart because he is still playing at the French Open. Zverev, ranked at No. 6 in the world, had been expected to kick off his grass season in Stuttgart but he has been through to the French Open quarterfinal.
The French Open was postponed for a week and that's the main reason why Zverev was forced to pull out of Stuttgart. Zverev, seeded at No. 6, beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the French Open round-of-16. “I hope I continue playing the same way I did this match.
Maybe even better,” Zverev said after beating Nishikori, per the ATP website. “Now we're in the quarterfinals, there's only eight of us left, and the opponents are not getting easier. You need to perform at your best, play at your best”.
Zverev plays next Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
“No matter who you're playing, they already won four matches,” Zverev said. “I'm looking forward to that, of course. I know it's not going to be any easier from this moment on”.
Besides Zverev, Cristian Garin and Benoit Paire also withdrew from Stuttgart. On Sunday, Garin was beaten in straight sets by world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. “To beat me the opponent needs to play good. First two sets, he didn't play good, so it was in my favour.
Third set he started playing better, he could win it. [It] was a tight set, tight encounter,” Medvedev said. “Straight from the beginning of the match I could almost return every ball in the court”. After the match, Medvedev said Garin's serve was "good" but "not unbelievable." “Cristian's serve is not unbelievable.
It's quite good, but it's not unbelievable. It makes a difference,” Medvedev said. “I could have easy points on the serve, he couldn't. It's tough to play like this”.
