Alexander Zverev impresses with strong performances at the Australian Open. The German suffered a setback in the game against Frenchman Ugo Humbert.
When Alexander Zverev competed at the Australian Open so far, there wasn’t much for his opponents to gain. He hadn’t lost a set so far. Even the top favorites Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic had already lost their clean slate. Just not Zverev.
Ugo Humbert also met Alexander Zverev, who is in outstanding form, in the fourth round of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. The bravely fighting Frenchman lost to the German tennis star 6:1, 2:6, 6:3, 6:2.
The Hamburg native is bursting with self-confidence in his previous appearances in Melbourne. He looks extremely fit and fully focused on his mission to win the Grand Slam title. Humbert, who is number 14 in the world tennis rankings, also felt how focused he was on this hot late afternoon in the John Cain Arena.
So far at the Australian Open, Zverev has presented himself as the most complete player in the men’s competition, physically strong, covering the court with his outstanding footwork, and increasing the pace almost at will. In addition, the variability of his shots is impressive. The 27-year-old has dominated the opponents so far, forcing his game on them, throwing in a stop ball at the right moment, perfectly timed, unreachable. Always an exclamation mark for the opponent.
In this way, Zverev won the first set against Humbert after just 27 minutes. What looks so easy for him in the good times is the result of years of hard work. Zverev’s serve is representative of this. It is his sharpest weapon. It used to be his problem area. “The serve cost me the US Open final and other Grand Slams,” said Zverev: “I worked on it a lot. I’m big, the serve should be my strength. It was my weakness.”
His serves reach top speeds of 225 kilometers per hour. He hits a lot of aces and produces few double faults. The serve is the most important shot in the repertoire of most top players. Or as the Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios had to painfully discover here: “If your serve doesn’t work, you don’t even need to compete here.”
Zverev can rely on his strong service. In the game against Humbert he showed his other, less perfect side for the first time. Fifth game in the second set: Zverev is 0:40 behind and threatened to concede a break. Driven by huge serves, Zverev fought back and even had the ball. But then his nerves flared. He put a ball that was actually surefire – Humbert was already in the wrong corner of the pitch – into the net. The game was lost.
Zverev struggled with himself. He marches towards his carers lamenting and talking himself into a rage. There was actually no reason to lose your nerve at this point in the game. He had the opponent under control and was in rhythm. But then no more. Zverev felt that the Frenchman was getting stronger. And he let himself be unnerved. The next game was lost, ultimately the entire set. Suddenly everything that was there before was gone.
Zverev now missed easy balls and his forehands fluttered out of bounds. But then he fought his way out of the small slump – driven once again by his serve, with which he drove Humbert to despair. Finally Zverev wins the match. Afterwards he appears relieved. “I’m very happy with the way I played here, I hadn’t lost a set yet, but he played fantastically in the set.”
In the quarterfinals he will now face the American Tommy Paul: “I’ve never beaten him, but we haven’t played against each other for five years,” said Zverev in an interview with Andrea Petković after the match. “I’ve developed since then, but so has he. I’m having a lot of fun here in Melbourne and I’d like to stick around for a few more games.”
Three games to be exact. That’s how many there are left before the possible first Grand Slam title. An Alexander Zverev in this condition should now be one of the hottest contenders for the coveted trophy.