Alexander Zverev can become the first German world champion since Boris Becker after his semi-final victory over Roger Federer.
It was the greatest game of his young career. And it ended for Alexander Zverev with the greatest victory of his tennis life – against none other than the best of all time, against Roger Federer. When Zverev masterfully and unattainably placed a backhand volley in the field for Federer on Saturday evening, he crowned an impressive Centre Court show with the first entry of a German player into the World Cup final since 1996.
The man who last did this 22 years ago was Boris Becker, and he himself, the then Hanover Champion, now sat in London’s O2 Arena as a spectator in Zverev’s brilliant 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) victory over the Swiss maestro. “I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved,” said Zverev later, relieved, “now of course I want to win the title, too.” The final opponent on Sunday at 19 o’clock is Novak Djokovic, who won 6:2, 6:2 against Kevin Anderson on Saturday evening.
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Without any real action by Zverev, however, this game ended with memorably crooked sounds – a scandal, triggered by some iron Federer fans who whistled out Zverev after the game in the obligatory interview. This happened: In the tiebreak of the second set, at 3:4 from the German’s point of view, Zverev interrupted a rally because one of the ball children lost a felt ball from his hands. Zverev did what was rule-compliant: he stopped the action, pointed out the boy’s misfortune to the referee. The rally was repeated, Zverev hit an ace to 4-4 – and reaped the first disapproval rallies from the crowd, most of whom were on Federer’s side.
The whistles against Zverev continued until the end of the tiebreak, with the climax of a real whistle concert in conversation with presenter Annabel Croft. “Why do you whistle? Alexander just followed the rules and deserves respect,” said Croft, a former professional player, as the mood became even more hostile. And Zverev? He mastered the situation with exactly the same class that had distinguished him on the court before. The 21-year-old man from Hamburg apologized several times and also said that he didn’t want to “upset anyone here”: “I also said to Roger on the net that I’m sorry. I feel a little lost now, though.” It was an almost as sad end as the recent US Open final between young Grand Slam Queen Naomi Osaka and American Serena Williams.
Zverev did not deserve anything that happened to him after the most valuable victory of his career so far, on the big World Cup stage in London. Zverev passed the mature test against Federer in this semi-final with flying colours, so strong, self-confident and resting in himself, he had never before trumped in a game of comparable importance. Not Federer, but Zverev was the man who set the pace and rhythm of the game, with powerful attacking tennis, first-class serves and targeted net attacks. Zverev wasn’t the gearbox, but the driving force, and in this intoxication he forgot any tiredness in the 76th match of the season, was on his way on quick legs. “I wanted to take matters into my own hands,” he said later, “and I also had the nerves to be able to put on more weight in the decisive moments.”
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In fact, he was the man for the Big Points. Already in the first set, when he cold-bloodedly took advantage of Federer’s sudden weakness in a 6:5 lead and also won the first act with the break to 7:5. Federer then took Zverev’s serve away to 2-1 in the second round, but the German shook off the misfortune without a problem, scored immediately with a re-break to 2-2. And finally he was wide awake in the tiebreak, took the lead 6-4 and was concentrated when he sank the backhand volley at the second match point to 7-5.
Federer’s dream of his 100th tournament victory was adjourned, for him the holidays have now begun. Zverev’s big title dream, on the other hand, continues, with the second big tennis moment of the year in London on Sunday after Angelique Kerber’s successful Wimbledon mission. Winter fairy tale after summer fairy tale? It doesn’t seem impossible.