French Open After Nadal showdown: Zverev overcomes second-round hurdle
Alexander Zverev is in the third round of the French Open without losing a set. Photo
© Aurelien Morissard/AP/dpa
The title contender also defied the conditions against David Goffin. The rain continued to cause problems with the schedule. Troublemakers are now being pursued more consistently.
Alexander Zverev finished his task with a powerful forehand, then received well-deserved applause from the fans. After the emotional showdown against record champion Rafael Nadal, the German tennis star mastered his second-round match with a composed performance. The Olympic champion defeated Belgian David Goffin 7:6 (7:4), 6:2, 6:2 after some initial difficulties.
“I was glad that I had a few days off because I needed to calm down emotionally and ground myself in a certain way,” said Zverev about the difficult transition from Nadal to Goffin: “I’m actually extremely happy with my performance today. I hope I can keep playing like this.” In the fight for a ticket to the round of 16, the Hamburg native will face either Luciano Darderi from Italy or the number 26 seeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
Zverev remains undefeated and reached the third round for the eighth time in his ninth French Open start in Paris. In the past three years, the world number four has always reached the semifinals of the Grand Slam tournament on clay.
Difficult conditions despite the roof
Although the rain did not fall on the covered Suzanne Lenglen court, the sand was still relatively wet and the balls were therefore heavy. Zverev also had to struggle with the cold, wet conditions at first. He started with a few mistakes, especially with his forehand. “It was as if he wasn’t 100 percent focused,” said tennis icon Boris Becker on Eurosport.
Zverev went into the match against the world number 115 with great respect: “I’ve had my difficulties with him over the years.” After winning the tiebreak, however, things went better for Zverev, and an early break to 1-0 helped him win the second set. After 2:22 hours, Zverev converted his first match point.
There were also long interruptions on the uncovered courts on Thursday due to rain. This also affected the second-round matches of Maximilian Marterer against the Belgian Zizou Bergs and Henri Squire against the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. As a result, the start on Friday on all courts will be brought forward by one hour to 10:00 a.m.
Troublemakers should be punished
Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo also announced that she would take more rigorous action against troublemakers in the stands. Some professionals, such as world number one Iga Swiatek, had complained about heckling from the audience, and Goffin was even spat at by a fan with a piece of chewing gum during his opening victory against Giovanni Mpetshi.
“We will be uncompromising with regard to respect for the players and the game,” said former world-class player Mauresmo. She has instructed the referees to be more sensitive to the issue, and alcohol in the stands will also be strictly banned. “It’s becoming more and more like football. Soon we’ll have pyrotechnics and hooligans, soon they’ll be fighting in the stands. It’s really ridiculous,” said Goffin.
dpa
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