Alexander Zverev did everything right in the semi-final against Roger Federer – especially after the end of the match.
Roger Federer has truly deserved to be the unassailable darling of the public in the world of professional tennis. Already in his active times he is a legend, an almost mythically revered figure. However, some of his fans are now mistaken that Federer’s opponents only have to be a kind of staffage for the acclaimed Centre Court appearances of the 37-year-old Maestro. Federer is given powerful applause, point, game, set and match wins are hymnally acclaimed. Respect for Federer’s opponents is limited, and they are usually given only the most minimal applause. Or silence breaks out when they’re about to beat Federer.
Federer enjoys the affection, why not? He has brought modern tennis into a new sphere and opened up new dimensions of marketing. Almost everyone who plays against him also profits from him in the background, from the best of all times. And yet what happens with and around Federer sometimes seems unnatural. Opponents who line up with him for the Selfie after matches. An awe that suppresses healthy sporting opposition. Whether this has also led to tennis fans sometimes developing a strange attitude towards the duels on Centre Court, the matches with eternal Roger.
In London, in any case, Federer’s office aficionados turned a trifle into a state affair. And Zverev, the Federer conqueror in the semi-finals, whistled mercilessly out because he had interrupted a rally in the tiebreak according to the rules – and then, while repeating the point, put an ace into Federer’s field. On the home straight of the match, many things reminded of the ghostly incidents in New York, the US Open with the Serena Williams scandal. Even then, a young tennis player, the champion Naomi Osaka, had his biggest career day spoiled, and at the award ceremony she had to endure a whistling concert of angry Willams fans. The triumph ended in tears.
Zverev showed greatness and maturity when he apologized in a court interview for the unpleasant incident – although there was actually nothing to apologize for. The gesture was impressive because it showed that this 21-year-old player was capable of solving an extremely complex situation. In a manner reminiscent of the great diplomat Federer, the man who occasionally discreetly advised Zverev. Federer himself later also called for moderation; he seemed embarrassed to be treated like a monument to himself, like a pillar saint. He doesn’t want to be, and he’s not.