After reaching the final in Paris, Alexander Zverev is not only looking ahead to the showdown against Carlos Alcaraz, but also back to his first major final. This time everything will be different.
After reaching the final of the French Open for the first time, German tennis star Alexander Zverev thought back to his Grand Slam final debut three and a half years ago in New York. “I was no longer a child, but I was still kind of a chick,” said the 27-year-old. Since the narrow five-set defeat in the US Open final against the Austrian Dominic Thiem, he has developed both athletically and personally, said the Hamburg native: “I hope that I will show that on the court on Sunday.”
Then Zverev, who won the semifinals on Friday with 2:6, 6:2, 6:4, 6:2 against the Norwegian Casper Ruud, who was suffering from stomach pain, will compete in his second Grand Slam final on the Philippe Chatrier court in Paris. His opponent is the Spanish world number three Carlos Alcaraz (21). The search is on for the clay court king of this season.
“This court connects me with some of the greatest emotions of my career,” said the Hamburg native, who seriously injured his foot there two years ago in the semifinal against Rafael Nadal: “I hope that Sunday will be an emotion that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Proceedings against Zverev were discontinued
The longed-for first Grand Slam title is coming – and he could celebrate it with 15,000 spectators in the largest stadium of Roland Garros. In 2020, in the final of the US Open, the Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed to fans due to the Corona measures at the time. “It was strange, we played in the largest tennis stadium in the world and there were actually seven people there,” Zverev recalled. He was happy that “after many painful days, many defeats that may have hurt too,” he had another chance at one of the four biggest titles in tennis.
Especially now that the trial against him for alleged bodily harm to his then girlfriend ended without a verdict. The Tiergarten district court in Berlin dropped the case in return for a fine of 200,000 euros. There was no conviction. Agreeing to pay a fine does not constitute an admission of guilt. Zverev is still considered innocent.
“I’m happy that it’s over,” said Zverev, who stressed to journalists when asked for the second time at the press conference: “I never want to hear a question about this topic again. That goes for everyone.”
Source: Stern
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