Australian Open: The brutality of the lost big points - Zverev also deserves respect in defeat
Alexander Zverev was beaten by Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open semi-finals. In the end, it was a few points that made the difference.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 31, 2020, 05:44 pm
In the end it is often the little things that decide big matches on the biggest stages. The famous couple of "Big Points" that can turn and turn everything on the Center Court in seconds. When Alexander Zverev struggled to defeat Dominic Thiem in the fourth set of his Australian Open semi-final, he experienced the brutality of his sport in close succession. He had just mastered many critical situations with 1: 2 sets behind, balanced 5: 5 and 6: 6 with confident service games. But when it went into the tie-break, this relentless tennis lottery, two short blackouts by the 22-year-old from Hamburg were enough to suddenly burst his surprisingly realistic title dream.
A carelessly awarded butterfly ball, a hair-raising double mistake - and set, game and all hope were lost after a good three and a half hours. 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 7 (3) and 6: 7 (4): That was the unfortunate final calculation for Zverev in black and white in the first Grand Slam semi-final duel of his career. He had won 133 points, his friend's friend, 138 years older rival - ultimately the tiebreak made the difference. “At the crucial moments, he played his best tennis. Not me, "said Zverev afterwards," that's the story of this game. "
Zverev awards two set balls
"On a knife's edge" was the match, later Thiem, the king of the "quick decision", said: "I could just as well have been out now." However: Thiem, the beefy fighter type, already had Rafael Nadal in the hard-fought quarter-final broadcast as the tiebreak king, with three won tiebreak sets against the Mallorcan matador. Thiem is likely to face the hardest, the final meeting with the seven-time tournament winner Novak Djokovic on Sunday. Djokovic has won every Melbourne final so far. “I think Dominic has a chance in this final. He is currently playing giant tennis, ”said Zverev.
The tie breaks were Zverev's biggest weakness in this night performance in the Rod Laver arena. But another moment was hardly less decisive for the outcome of this tense game - namely the tenth game in act three, in which Zverev had a 5: 4 lead with two set balls against the serving Viennese, but did not set the decisive punch. "It was a key moment," said Zverev afterwards, who only used five out of fourteen breakballs, "you don't get many of these chances, and if you have them you should take them with you." As in the first phase of the game, in who the seventh in the world rankings clearly dictated his will to the action and got the perfect start. Zverev initially seemed very focused, very calm in the biggest Grand Slam match of his career so far, so winning the set was completely logical and deserved.
Becker: "Thiem was the slightly better player"
But Thiem, who had spent four hours more on the courts in five previous matches, couldn't be shaken off. The mid-twenties, who have long since matured from a clay court expert to a modern all-rounder, have been playing in top matches against top opponents on an exclusive level - he is not afraid of big names. And don't be afraid of major challenges either. Although Zverev fielded more than 80 percent of his first serves, the Austrian, as a clever defense strategist, found the appropriate means to defuse his opponent's most powerful sporting weapon. Against somewhat weaker opponents it might have been enough for the strong serving Zverev to win a start-finish, but not against Thiem, the old friend and companion.
“Thiem was the slightly better player. But Sacha can also be proud of a performance that nobody would have expected two weeks ago, "said TV expert Boris Becker," if you lose, then in this way. "And in fact, this should also be noted: Unlike in other Grand Slam tournaments, Zverev did not in the least spoil his overall remarkable overall mark in the hour of defeat. It was a failure in all honor. There was no freaking out, no excuses, no repeated complaining with arbitrators or line handlers, no insults to his support team. The crowning of his season kick-off - from the series broke at the ATP Cup to the again feared Grand Slam competitor - was denied to him, but he also went from the Center Court as a winner despite defeat. Zverev had earned "absolute respect", maybe the tournament was for the "breakthrough", the "beginning of something bigger", judged ex-superstar John McEnroe as a television expert.
laverarena