ATP Halle: Alexander Zverev slightly annoyed after Aus
Alexander Zverev failed at the lawn tournament in Halle in the quarterfinals. After a strong start, the slump came.
by SID
last edit: Jun 21, 2019, 11:52 pm
The disappointment was written on Alexander Zverev's face. Germany's top player spoke in a low voice and blank look about his quarter-finals at the grass tournament in Halle in East Westphalia. Zverev had suffered the defeat and reacted irritably to questions.
"You can always see everything very negatively," he said after the lost thriller against Belgian David Goffin: "But you can also see many things positively. I played three very good matches here."
However, on paper there was a 6: 3, 1: 6, 6: 7 (3: 7) against Goffin after 2:16 hours, the dream of the first title in Halle had burst. "He returned incredibly, so he deserved to win," said Zverev, praising his conqueror and trying to put just those positive things in the foreground. "I have never had any doubts. I lost 7-6 in third, it is not that he swept me off the pitch."
Roger Federer also with a lot of effort
Record winner Roger Federer also struggled, but the Swiss made it to the semi-finals with a 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 4 against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. The next hurdle on the way to the tenth title on Saturday is the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who benefited from the injury-related task of defending champion Borna Coric. Meanwhile, Goffin meets Stuttgart winner Matteo Berrettini in the round of four. The Italian defeated Karen Khachanov 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
Before Zverev, on the way to the Grand Slam highlight in Wimbledon (July 1 to 14), there is still a lot of work to do. He has made too many double mistakes in previous games - nine against Goffin alone. Zverev also repeatedly showed weaknesses with Volleys, an important tool on lawns.
The bruise and a swollen tendon in the left knee, which has prevented the 22-year-old from slipping in the opening game in Halle, should no longer stand in his way in London. "I'm not glad I lost, but I feel good for Wimbledon," said Zverev. The injured knee was "not 100 percent good, but it will be in the next few days."
Zverev still with knee pain
He still had knee pain with some movements, Zverev had reported Thursday after his round of 16 win over Steve Johnson. However, the ATP champion did not notice this against Goffin at first, he served well, played powerfully and cleverly before a medical emergency in the bleachers caused a break of several minutes.
Zverev couldn't be put out of rhythm. Immediately after the restart, he made the first break of the game to 3: 2, which he cheered with a loud "come on". After the sovereign win of the first set, Zverev's game was broken. He acted increasingly nervous, while the Belgian became braver and got the second set with three breaks. Instead, Zverev let off steam, and after 75 minutes, he peppered his racket to the ground in frustration.
In the third set, the German played clearly more determined and breached Goffin early. Zverev gave this advantage out of hand again and had to fend off two match balls at 4: 5. In the tie-break, Goffin then used his third opportunity to win the match.