US Open 2021: Alexander Zverev - respect for Lloyd Harris' serve
Alexander Zverevwill meet Lloyd Harris in the quarter-finals of the US Open 2021 today. The two only recently played against each other in Cincinnati.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Sep 08, 2021, 01:27 pm
It is all too understandable that these days Alexander Zverev cannot remember exactly who he has spoken to on various occasions lately. The Olympic triumph in Tokyo, the triumph in Cincinnati, now the triumphant advance in New York City. There are a few press conferences and discussions with journalists and colleagues. But Zverev still knows one thing very well: that he only recently remarked to whoever that Lloyd Harris, today's quarter-final opponent at the US Open, was winning several matches week after week.
To be precise, there are now 28 this season, including the four in New York City. The most recent success of the 24-year-old South African against Reilly Opelka was particularly impressive. He was inferior to the US giant in Toronto in the round of 16 in the tie-break of the third set. Also on the 2021 hit list: Rafael Nadal (in Washington), Grigor Dimitrov (in Madrid), Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori, Denis Shapovalov (all in Dubai) and Stan Wawrinka (in Doha).
Zverev beats Harris in Cincinnati
Is that enough as a letter of recommendation against Alexander Zverev? Not so fast. In Cincinnati the two faced each other a few weeks ago, Zverev won 7: 6 (3) and 6: 2. But by his own admission I had big problems with Harris' serve. Which is amazing in that Zverev is one of the best return players on the tour. Not only because of his stable backhand, but also because of the position the native of Hamburg normally takes when he hits back. The Americans like to say: He is in a different zip code district than his respective opponent.
When Harris isn't playing tennis, check out the golf courses nearby for a tournament. He never travels without his golf glove, Harris told the ATP website. What has changed since then: A coffee machine was also part of Lloyd Harris' luggage, especially in Asia, where there was no corresponding coffee culture.
Little is known of Alexander Zverev in this regard. However, part of general tennis-specific knowledge is that the German is not a man for the early matches. A cup of coffee to wake you up is not to be expected from Lloyd Harris.
Here the single tableau in New York
nycmap