ATP Finals: Federer makes it clear: “Don’t doubt Sascha’s sporting spirit in any way”

A ball boy’s inattention caused a stir at the end of the Federer-Zverev match – the players themselves, on the other hand, are at peace with the situation.

By Florian Goosmann from London

“Unhappy” – it is perhaps the word that best describes the final phase of the encounter between Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer. Because instead of the concentrated performance of the German, in the end a ball child, an apology and an excited London audience stood in the foreground.

The situation: Zverev was 3:4 behind in the tiebreak of the second set and served. Federer had a good rally and seemed to have just created a good starting position with a backhand longline to get the forehand to the trigger on the next shot. But that didn’t happen: Zverev stopped the rally. Reason: A ball boy had dropped a ball that was trickling behind Federer in the direction of the court. Referee Carlos Bernardes took care of the matter, questioned ball boy and linesman and decided: repetition.

A rule-compliant decision – to the detriment of Federer, because Zverev beat an ace afterwards. Shortly after, after a volley inattention of the maestro himself and a courageous conclusion of Zverev at the match ball, the game was over.

While Federer and Zverev clarified the situation on the net (Zverev: “I said sorry, he meant there was no reason for an apology”), the London audience took the matter personally – and booed Zverev at the on-court interview, which he started with an apology.

“It was a stupid situation for everyone. For Roger, for me, for the audience. There are so many Roger fans, and he deserves them all,” Zverev said at the press conference, explaining his reason for the apology – which may have got everything going. “I didn’t really want to apologize for myself, but for the situation. That it even happened, that we had to repeat the point. I hit an ace after that, that didn’t help the whole thing, of course.”

Federer also accepted everything objectively. “I was trying to figure out what I would have done in his situation. It’s brave to finish the rally – because I didn’t know if it wasn’t for the referee to decide.” The problem: Neither Bernardes nor Federer had noticed the ball scooter. “The ball boy said what happened. The linesman confirmed it. The referee believed them, and he was right. So it’s normal to repeat the point,” Federer continued.

You all right? Yes. Because, of course, the Swiss knew he was out of luck. “Instead of being in a good position in the rally, I get an ace afterwards – of course that makes a difference. Or it could have made one out. But it’s all hypothetical.”

The relationship with Zverev does not under any circumstances affect this, he assured. “I do not question Sasha’s sporting spirit in any way. It was brave because maybe the referee could have said, ‘Sorry, you’re in the rally, you lost the point, I didn’t see that.'”

By the way, he did not talk to the ball boy afterwards, Federer continued. “Maybe he’ll join us for dinner later,” he joked. And he said, “It’s all good, really. I hope he’s not having a sleepless night. What happens happens – that’s life, that’s sport. I’m definitely not mad at him.”