After his round of 16 win against Frenchman Ugo Humbert at the Australian Open, Alexander Zverev already has his next opponent in mind. It has it all, as the best German tennis player emphasizes.
The path to the possible first Grand Slam title of his career leads Alexander Zverev over the American Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The 27-year-old has been everything on the ATP tour so far but not the Hamburg native’s favorite opponent. Both the duel in Acapulco (2020) and Indian Wells (2022) went to Paul, who is ranked eleventh in the world rankings.
“He is an incredible player, also tactically,” Zverev looked ahead to his next opponent in the “Eurosport” interview immediately after his round of 16 win against Ugo Humbert on Sunday: “I think I have more power. I have to exploit.”
Zverev had beaten Humbert 6:1, 2:6, 6:3, 6:2. Although he dropped a set for the first time at this year’s Australian Open, the playing time of only 2:16 hours should still be an important factor for the runner-up in the rankings as the tournament progresses. The duel against Paul will take place on Tuesday, the exact timing is still to be determined.
Tennis star Zverev starts preparing straight away
After the success against Humbert, Zverev, who appeared rested, went straight into training, which has become somewhat of a routine in quickly decided games. Already “now on the training ground” his focus is on the Paul duel: “The tactical preparation starts tomorrow.”
Zverev was happy with his performance against Humbert despite the wobble in the second round. “The first set was of a very high standard. In the second set I served further away from the line and suddenly he was in the field and returned my hard serves too well. Humbert has already beaten a lot of good players, so you have to respect him pay tribute,” he concluded.
Tennis icon Boris Becker also praised in his role as co-commentator on “Eurosport: “A very interesting game with world-class tennis from both of them. You can’t play better than in the first set.”