Alexander Zverev has successfully defended his title at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Munich: The number one seeded Zverev defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 in the final and celebrated his seventh tournament success.
The Munich tournament week had already started well for the travel group Zverev. Alexander Zverev senior, the family patriarch, was officially presented with the “Coach of the Year 2017” award by the German Tennis Federation (DTB). And even before the first rallies, son Alexander Zverev junior, the new German tennis world star, had won something.
From the host of the ATP competition, the Iphitos Club, the third in the world rankings received the award for his services to the tournament. None other than Boris Becker was the laudator and award winner.
On the picture of a perfect business trip, the Zverev family and their pre-turner, the best representatives of the new international tennis generation, did not change anything on the Munich final day: Alexander (“Sascha”) won the German final with 6:3 and 6:3 against Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 34-year-old local hero, under a bright blue sky.
It was also the day in Zverev’s steep tennis career when he managed to defend his title for the first time – with an impressively confident performance that left no doubt about the national hierarchy.
Zverev, that much remains clear, is the undisputed number 1 in this country, but also a number 1 with justified global ambitions. “I am insanely happy as I mastered here in Munich this week,” Zverev said later.
Zverev had already underlined his brilliant form on Saturday with an equally self-confident two-set semi-final victory over the South Korean Hyeon Chung, the winner of last year’s ATP U21 final tournament. Zverev had lost to Chung at the opening Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne.
But in Munich Zverev developed an irresistible title campaign that also demonstrated one thing: Meanwhile Zverev feels really comfortable at the German tournaments, in front of the formerly often critical German fans. “The mood here, the atmosphere – that inspired me very much,” said the 21-year-old.
Zverev has now won two Munich titles, and in 2016 and 2017 he was also in the finals of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle (he lost to Florian Mayer and Roger Federer). “He has now realised how important the German tournaments are for him and the emotional value of these home games,” said Davis Cup team boss Michael Kohlmann.
Kohlschreiber, Germany’s top player for many years, kept the high-class final open, but in the end he was not up to the force, determination and dynamism of Zverev’s game. “He was a class ahead. He always had the right answer to my shots,” said the tennis veteran, who will return to 28th place in the world rankings after the tournament.
Kohlschreiber even seemed to have a chance to turn around at the beginning of the second set when he had a 2-1 break. But Zverev quickly destroyed the Augsburg man’s hopes with a 2-2 equaliser. Afterwards Zverev was the determining force on the Centre Court, where all kinds of celebrities like Thomas Gottschalk and the couple Carsten Maschmeyer/Veronica Ferres had gathered.
Zverev not only took the 86,000 euro prize money, a sports car from sponsor BMW and luxury leather trousers with him from Munich, but also and above all an important professional commodity: namely self-confidence and confidence, which are essential for the coming hard, demanding weeks in the sand.
Already this week the slide exercises continue, at the Masters in Madrid. This is followed by the also highly remunerated Masters in Rome, where Zverev is the defending champion. Last but not least, Zverev has to prove himself at the French Open, the highlight of the clay court season. Then it will also be a question of improving the Grand Slam balance under the Eiffel Tower.