Alexander Zverev could hardly stand-worry about tennis star

It was noteworthy that Alexander Zverev shoulder his bags himself and carried off the bitter semi-final defeat. A week before the start of the US Open, Germany’s best tennis player at Masters in Cincinnati was physically so to his limits-and possibly beyond that-that he could hardly move against Carlos Alcaraz in the second set.

“Everything revolves around me,” he reported to a doctor called on the pitch in the meantime. His bad condition was noticeable: the strokes of his opponent sometimes rushed past himself without reaction. In view of the obvious problems of the 28-year-old, the comparatively narrow 4: 6, 3: 6 did not reflect the unequal balance of power. Alcaraz alone was due to many serve errors that the game was not clear.

The Spaniard is now in a seventh time in the final of an ATP tournament and will meet Jannik Sinner from Italy with $ 9.2 million (around 7.9 million euros) on Monday. Zverev, on the other hand, has to find out before the last Grand Slam of the year why his body in the US state of Ohio let him down in two matches. Already in the quarter -finals against Ben Shelton he had to struggle massively, although he won the game 6: 2, 6-2 relatively quickly in 77 minutes.

Alcaraz felt with Zverev: “It is never easy to play against someone who is not at 100 percent. He is such a good player and good guy away from the square, we have a great relationship,” said Alcaraz about Zverev. “It was good tennis, a good level. And then he suddenly started not feeling good – and my thoughts went there instead of concentrating on me. I wish him all the best.” Instead of the usual signature, the Spaniard scribbled a greeting and best wishes for the German colleagues on a TV camera.

Zverev started well, did his first serve and even had the first three chances of breaking. But Alcaraz first succeeded. Three aces later, number two in the world led 5: 3. Zverev took the point to the connection, but had to hand in the first set after 53 minutes and three other Alcaraz-Assen.

In the second set, the first double mistake of the Zverev game then cost energy and its first service game. An hour was played and his physical problems became more and more obvious. When he changed sides, he sat on the bench, while Alcaraz ‘t-shirt change he leaned on the wall, between each point he moved slowly and weakly.

Although Zverev could hardly run and stand in the second set, he even got a re-break. Because Alcaraz himself had difficulties and made four double errors in a single service game. So Zverev could stay tuned up to 3: 3 – at least on paper. Because apparently the Hamburger was unable to oppose the signals of his body.

Whenever possible, he sat down and put ice packs around his shoulders. Finally, he interrupted the match for the medical examination. None of this brought improvement. When Alcaraz pushed the match ball over the net, Zverev no longer tried to defend.