There was a funny scene in the arena during Alexander Zverev’s game at the Australian Open. The German doesn’t let himself be disturbed and wins.
Christoph Cöln reports from Melbourne
Alexander Zverev had a good laugh after winning the first round match of the Australian Open against Frenchman Lucas Pouille. During the interview on the Center Court of the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, he joked about the new rules that now apply to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year and which recently provide for a coaching box directly on the sidelines.
When asked about the fact that his father Alexander senior, his brother Mischa and the rest of the coaching staff are now sitting just a few meters from the baseline and watching his game, Alexander “Sascha” Zverev said: “I hate it. Actually, I don’t want them that close in my life.”
It was the humorous conclusion to an exciting match in which world number two Zverev constantly put his opponent under pressure with a strong baseline game and could also rely on his tough and precise serves. This is how the Hamburger got a total of 18 aces.
Whenever Zverev came under pressure and was in danger of being broken by the tireless Frenchman, he pulled out his sharpest weapon and hit an ace. At the end of the game, which only lasted 2.21 hours, there was a confident three-set win (6:4, 6:4, 6:4) the German number one. The 27-year-old was in a correspondingly good mood afterwards.
However, the brightest moment of the game came in the first set. A TV presenter mingled with the spectators in the arena and promised a tennis fan a hotel voucher worth 500 Australian dollars if he answered a quiz question correctly. The woman was supposed to answer how many Grand Slam titles the former Australian world-class player Ashleigh “Ash” Barty had won. One, three or none at all?
“One,” the lady replied confidently. A slight murmur went through the stadium. The moderator asked in the style of Günther Jauch. Wouldn’t she like to think about her answer again? But the woman remained stubborn. Even when only one of the three answers that had been displayed on the video boards in the arena, namely the correct one, was displayed, the lady remained undeterred. “Are you sure?” the moderator tried one last time. “Yes”. The woman insisted that Ash Barty, Australia’s national tennis hero, had only won one Grand Slam title.
Now Barty herself probably won’t deny that the title she won in Melbourne in 2022 was one of the most important of her career. It’s probably the one that Australians will remember forever, after all, no Australian has been able to do that for 44 years. But Barty had previously won the Wimbledon and Paris tournaments. So “three” would have been the correct answer.
The lady looked very puzzled. The audience screamed with laughter and showed their open glee. “Well,” said the announcer, “we’ll just have to give the prize to someone else.”
The moderator got the opportunity to do this a little later during another break in the match between Zverev and Pouille. He had picked another audience member who was willing to answer a quiz question. When the question came, the man was astonished. It was the same as before. He answered it confidently. And was happy about the night in the posh hotel.
Zverev will probably be able to sleep well in the next two days, which are no games for him. Ultimately, he mastered his opening match without any major problems. That wasn’t always the case at major tournaments, as “Eurosport” expert Boris Becker noted. “We’re used to something completely different from Sascha in the past. He makes a relaxed impression.” The German tennis legend praised his compatriot’s aggressive style of play.
He only had one thing to complain about: Zverev’s careless use of his break chances. The 27-year-old was only able to convert three of 19 breakballs. “That wasn’t great,” Zverev admitted later, but also explained this with the lack of match practice. “It’s much more important that I wasn’t broken.”