Alexander Zverev was also over in Halle in the semifinals. Not a bad result, but the Olympic champion seemed at a loss at the end.
Alexander Zverev left the East Westphalian lawn refuge as the German number one, reasonably satisfied and yet a bit at a loss. “I don’t know what I should have done differently,” he said after his semi-final elimination in Halle on Saturday. Once again Zverev had come a long way in a tournament, once again it wasn’t enough for the final. Since the comeback in January, Zverev has been waiting in vain for a title chance.
This time the Kazakh Alexander Bublik, number 48 in the tennis world before the tournament, prevented the final. 3: 6, 5: 7 was the result, Zverev’s analysis sounded clearer: “He dominated the whole game and did what was good for him.”
First Geneva, then Paris, now Halle: Zverev, who overtook Jan-Lennard Struff again in the ranking, suffered three defeats in three semifinals. He doesn’t aim to go far, he wants to win tournaments – the big ones at that. He gets his next chance in Wimbledon (July 3rd to 16th), the Grand Slam tournament that he likes least. Zverev never went further than the round of 16 in London, also because he is reluctant to leave his comfort zone.
Tennis star Zverev “satisfied with the level”
Zverev (26) recently complained that he was too big for grass, the ball bounced off below his swing zone. Nonsense, replied Boris Becker, Zverev had to accept the peculiarities of the green and train properly, said the three-time Wimbledon winner.
In Halle, Zverev has proven more than once that he can also be expected on grass. He only lost twice in the final (2016, 2017), this year he didn’t drop a set until the duel with Bublik. “I’m satisfied with the level of my game,” said Zverev. He didn’t look happy about it. He knows that other tasks than Bublik await in Wimbledon, even if he actually acted in a remarkably high-class manner at the Terra Wortmann Open.
Record Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic (Serbia) is playing for his eighth title at the All England Club, and youngster Carlos Alcaraz is rapidly adapting to the grass game. The Spaniard reached the final at his third grass tournament in London’s Queen’s Club. Alcaraz doesn’t alienate, he accepts the ball bounce and the slippery surface as part of the challenge.
Using videos from Roger Federer and Andy Murray, the 20-year-old prepared for the grass season to improve his running technique. While Zverev struggles, Alcaraz is looking for solutions.