Zverev and Kerber at the Australian Open: With heart and self-confidence
It was a day when many feared stumbling and stumbling. The early, bitter end at the Australian Open for Angelique Kerber and for Alexander Zverev. But shortly before midnight, almost in step, the two front figures of the German tennis caravan played their way into the second round of Grand Slam in Melbourne pretty confidently - within 60 seconds.
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Jan 21, 2020, 04:21 pm
“It is always a trembling game, a huge strain on the nerves. Because you don't know where you stand, ”said Kerber, the Australian Open winner in 2016, relieved after her 6-2, 6-2 win against Italian qualifier Elisabetha Cocciaretto on Center Court.
Shortly before, Zverev had secured his first ever sense of success in this critical season, including himself in a late German-Italian performance under floodlights. The 6: 4, 7: 6 (6: 4), 6: 3 win against Marco Cecchinato, the 77th in the world rankings, convinced Zverev above all with a controlled, concentrated style of play, far away from the hectic pace and internal turmoil had shaped his appearances in the ATP Cup team competition at the start of the year. "My game is definitely still expandable. It wasn't exactly the best tennis I've ever shown, ”said the 22-year-old from Hamburg,“ but I'm still in the tournament. I can and I have to improve. ”At the obligatory place interview, Zverev made a spectacular announcement: For every match he won, he would donate $ 10,000 to the bushfire victims on the fifth continent, and if he won the tournament (“ I am, however not the favorite here “), then the entire prize money goes to the aid fund. It would then be 2.5 million euros.
Kerber: "Then the necessary self-confidence was there"
Kerber and Zverev tackled the doubts that had arisen after a suboptimal preparation period with determination and well-tempered emotionality. There was no sign of Kerber's thigh injury in the match against the 18-year-old challenger (WTA 145). After the first, highly competitive games, the three-time Grand Slam winner increasingly took the initiative and was more and more confident. "I just realized: it all holds. And then there was the necessary confidence, "said the 32-year-old from Kiel," I made the best of this day. "
At 6: 2 and 5: 0, Kerber already had the first two match balls, but then had to do a little extra loop before the first round was over. Kerber's new coach Dieter Kindlmann and Fed Cup captain Rainer Schüttler, who was also Kindlmann's predecessor at Kerber, looked satisfied from the box of honor over to the German number one. "A great start for Angie. That encourages more, ”said Schüttler. Kerber now meets Australian wildcard starter Priscilla Hon.
Becker on Zverev: "Heart in the right place"
Zverev could not hide his insecurity on the first few meters of the game against Cecchinato, he quickly fell behind by 2: 4 and made two double mistakes in one game. But unlike the ATP Cup, the service was not his opponent throughout the game, but his friend. With a surcharge rate of 84 percent for the first service, the Schlaks dominated the game, especially in some critical situations, and all in all he made only four double mistakes. "But the most important thing," analyzed the DTB men's tennis boss, Boris Becker, at Eurosport, "was that Sascha was on the pitch with the necessary passion. The heart was in the right place with him. "
So Zverev was able to put away break arrears in all three sets, the deficit was always eliminated in no time, much to Cecchinato's annoyance. “It is good that I have mastered these tight situations. It's good for the psyche, ”said Zverev,“ but it's just the beginning. There has to be more to happen. ”In round two, Zverev will face either the Norwegian Casper Ruud or the Belarusian Jegor Gerassimov.
Qualifiers Peter Gojowczyk (7: 6, 6: 3, 4: 6, 6: 0 against Chris Eubanks / USA) and Laura Siegemund (6: 1, 6: 4 against Coco Vandeweghe / USA) are also in the second round. For last year's surprise man in German men's tennis, the Black Forest Dominik Koepfer, the tournament was already over after a 3: 6, 4: 6, 5: 7 defeat against Pedro Martinez (Spain).
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