Alexander Zverev: "If you award five match balls to Federer ..."
Alexander Zverev is in the semifinals of the Masters in Shanghai after defeating Roger Federer. Even with a short period of weakness, he was not deterred by an otherwise strong performance.
by SID
last edit: Oct 12, 2019, 10:52 am
Alexander Zverev raised his arms and roared the joy beyond the victory against his idol. With a strong performance against record-breaking Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Germany's top player at the ATP Masters in Shanghai has entered the semi-finals as in the previous year. The 22-year-old did not allow himself to be deterred by a short nerve flutter in the second set with five match balls awarded at 6: 3, 6: 7 (7: 9), 6: 3.
"When you give five match balls to a player like Federer, it is always difficult to come back in the third set," said Zverev at Sky, after finally converting the sixth match ball after 2:04 hours. "Of course," said the ATP champion, the win against the Swiss was "special".
Zverev: Fourth victory over "business partner" Federer
Against the 38-year-old Federer, he was able to rely primarily on his revitalized service, 17 aces with only one double fault. This is also why he celebrated the first win of the year over a top 10 player in the fifth attempt. In the semifinals, Zverev meets Matteo Berrettini (Italy / No. 11), who prevailed against fourth-placed Austrian Dominic Thiem.
In a direct comparison with Federer, it is now 4: 3 for Zverev, but it was the first meeting of the two friends as a "business partner" - since August, Zverev has been looked after by the Team8 agency of the Grand Slam record winner. Zverev had already won the last duel in the semifinals of the ATP final in London last November. There he then won his biggest title so far with a final victory over Novak Djokovic.
It is still uncertain whether Zverev can defend his title in the British metropolis. While the world number six still needs some good results for one of the last two remaining starting places in the tournament of the best eight players of the season, Stefanos Tsitsipas has already secured his ticket for London. The 21-year-old Greek surprisingly beat defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals after 2:02 hours 3: 6, 7: 5, 6: 3. In total, seven players can still calculate realistic chances of participating in the ATP final - the trend speaks for Zverev, who was in the semi-finals in Beijing last week. Berrettini is still promising in the race.
Zverev cannot be conceptualized from discussion
With his own serve, Zverev initially left no doubt against Federer, whose service he attacked cheekily - and received a grim look from the maestro after his break to 4: 2. After 27 minutes, the first set belonged to Zverev.
Federer presented unusual weaknesses especially on the net, Zverev was very determined and dominant on the opposite side of the baseline. After the break to 6: 5, he already had the win with three match balls in mind, but Federer saved himself first in the tie-break and after two further fought-off match balls in the decision set.
Zverev got off to a better start there too. Federer struggled again and again, even received a point deduction from the referee after a listlessly knocked ball. But even this unrest did not get Zverev out of the concept. "I didn't really notice that," said Zverev.