Toni Kroos guarantees Alexander Zverev victory in the next Grand Slam final

In an episode of Alexander and Mischa Zverev’s “A to Z” podcast released on Wednesday, Toni Kroos revealed that he almost became a tennis professional himself. “Before football, I played badminton. My mom was a GDR champion. So I quickly found joy in tennis. They say I was a mean left-hander,” he said. Would he rather have played tennis or basketball? “Tennis!” said the ardent NBA fan Kroos: “I followed the NBA more as a fan, I play tennis myself.” And: “As a tennis professional, I wouldn’t have belonged there yet.”

After the home European Championships in the summer, Kroos resigned at the age of 34. “I always wanted to finish at the absolute top level. “I played with so many top players, but not a handful managed to do that,” he said, explaining his decision. “The constant traveling and the constant being away from the family have made me tired over the years. Maybe in five years I’ll say it was a year too early, but right now it feels right.”

Tennis professionals have an advantage in this regard: “I appreciate the freedom that you have as a tennis professional. I was always a bit jealous of that,” said Kroos. “As a tennis professional, you are more or less free to decide where and when you play. You simply have the freedom to put together your own team. Those are the things I was missing.”

He now wants to play more tennis (“In a year I’ll be able to attack the over-35s again, I’ll get over my physical strength”) – and sit in his box for Zverev’s next Grand Slam final: “The word stands. With me you don’t lose the thing. Zverev appeared in two finals in his career, but lost both very narrowly.