Golden "devil guy": Alexander Zverev climbs the tennis Olympus
Alexander Zverev won gold in the men's singles at the Olympic Games - as the first German. It is the greatest success of his career.
by SID
last edit: Aug 01, 2021, 12:43 pm
When he had reached the goal of his dreams, Alexander Zverev fell on his knees as if in slow motion and clapped his hands in front of his face. Then tears of victory came to his eyes. With the strong nerves and dominance of a champion, the man from Hamburg climbed the tennis Olympus and was the first German to win gold in the men's singles. By beating Karen Khachanov (ROC) 6: 3, 6: 1 in the final, he also gave "Team D" their fourth Olympic victory in Tokyo.
"It's crazy, I've never had such a feeling in my life. As a tennis player, you dream of taking part in the Olympics," said Zverev after the awards ceremony at Eurosport: "I was able to hang a gold medal around my neck not imagine. It was the best week of my life. "
After the sensational semifinal success over the big top favorite Novak Djokovic, the fifth in the world ranked German tennis the next great moment. Steffi Graf was the only German who had previously won individual gold in Seoul in 1988, and in the men's individual he trumped Tommy Haas' silver medal in Sydney in 2000.
Zverev turns off the cell phone
The 24-year-old was the big favorite in the showdown for gold - but that this was not a match like any other, he even let his loved ones feel. "He called our parents yesterday and said that he would turn off the cell phone and call back after the final," said his brother Mischa at Eurosport: "He usually never turns off the cell phone and that shows how important the final is to him . "
With a big smile and demonstratively relaxed, Zverev then entered the Center Court in the Ariake Tennis Park - this time everything should be different than at his last big final, when the pressure was too great. Last year he missed his first Grand Slam title despite a 2-0 lead at the US Open. He had a long time to nibble at this disappointment, but it only fueled his hunger for great victories.
And Khachanov noticed that right away. Zverev took the balls early and forced the world number 25, against whom he had lost the last two duels, to make mistakes with powerful strokes and rewarded himself with the early break to 2-1. The serve wasn't quite as dominant as the previous rounds, but after 43 minutes he brought set one safely to the finish with another break.
Boris Becker: "Hell guy!"
Even with Germany's tennis icon Boris Becker, Zverev triggered huge enthusiasm after his brilliant victory against world number one Djokovic , whose dreams of the Golden Slam he destroyed. He described him as a "devil guy" in a greeting message via Eurosport and pretended: "Now bring home gold for Germany!"
Highly focused, Zverev continued this order in the second sentence. "Sascha is on a mission," said his brother Misha. Khachanov also looked impressed, and the German number one grabbed it mercilessly. With a cracking backhand winner, Zverev again took the serve from the Russian, accompanied by a huge cheer. The course was finally set for victory, with great force and a lot of heart he let nothing burn.