Tennis rollercoaster into the round of 16: Zverev proves mental strength
Zverev wants his first Grand Slam title, and nowhere are his chances as great as at the French Open. Photo
© Christophe Ena/AP/dpa
The tennis pro kept his nerve and avoided an early exit at the French Open. Negative experiences on and off the court have shaped him and helped him mature. This should now also help him against Holger Rune.
When Novak Djokovic averted his impending exit from the French Open in a memorable record match at 3:06 a.m., Alexander Zverev was probably sleeping soundly in his hotel room, recovering from his own third-round exertions. The German tennis star had also held his nerve against the early end of his title mission in Paris and had advanced to the round of 16 in a real rollercoaster ride.
“I’ve been through a lot of shit in the last few years. With my injuries, with my comeback, with a lot of stuff. I still believe that it can make you stronger,” said the Hamburg native after his happy ending in the five-set thriller on Saturday evening with a 3:6, 6:4, 6:2, 4:6, 7:6 (10:3) against the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
Zverev will also have to fight hard in the round of 16 against Danish tennis star Holger Rune, scheduled for Monday evening at 8:15 p.m., because his most urgent wish is likely to remain unfulfilled: “23 degrees and sunshine.” Clouds and temperatures of around 17 degrees are forecast, and the Olympic champion in Paris will not feel comfortable in view of the cold and wet weather. To play his best game, he needs more warmth and faster balls that bounce higher.
Setbacks have shaped Zverev
But he doesn’t want to get upset about the difficult conditions. His sporting and private setbacks in the past seem to have strengthened him mentally. “You can either go down completely, or you can come back and say: I went through all that, am now back here and have earned myself the chance to play for titles like this again,” said Zverev.
The serious foot injury in the 2022 French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal, the dramatically shattered dream of a Grand Slam title and number 1 in world tennis, the arduous fight back to the top of the world – all of this has left its mark on the Hamburg native. But this also includes the trial against him on charges of assaulting his then girlfriend Brenda Patea, which will continue on Monday. Zverev denies the accusation and firmly believes he will win in court.
His terrible outburst in Acapulco two and a half years ago, when he repeatedly hit the umpire’s chair with his racket, is also an experience from which he has learned. “I don’t smash rackets anymore, I hardly get any warnings anymore,” said Zverev about his apparent transformation and explained: “I told myself: I want to become a different type of player, a kind of role model.” Like the great tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are not only revered for their successes.
He also had his arguments with the chair umpire against Griekspoor, but everything remained within limits. He found another way out of the crisis. Zverev stopped his opponent’s serve-and-volley game, which had “killed him for one and a half sets”, by using a more offensive return position. He recovered a double break in the fifth set and demonstrated his increased mental strength in the match tiebreak.
Djokovic breaks Federer record and wants a party
Djokovic had to work a night shift before his third-round victory against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in five sets (7:5, 6:7 (6:8), 2:6, 6:3, 6:0) was confirmed at 3 a.m. Pumped full of adrenaline, the defending champion said with a smile in an interview on Court Philippe Chatrier: “So, if there’s a party somewhere, I’m going! Let’s go!” It was by far the latest match to finish in French Open history and Djokovic’s 369th victory in a Grand Slam match, equaling Federer’s record.
Zverev is the last remaining German tennis professional in the tournament after Jan-Lennard Struff lost his third-round match against Australian Alex De Minaur 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-6 on Saturday, which was accompanied by a long rain interruption.
Already one step ahead of Zverev and Djokovic is Spain’s star player Carlos Alcaraz, who is in the quarterfinals after a 6:3, 6:3, 6:1 win against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday. There he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek defeated Italian Matteo Arnaldi 3:6, 7:6 (7:4), 6:2, 6:2.
dpa
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