Zverev demands Djokovic - a victory is missing for the medal
Alexander Zverev or tennis dominator Novak Djokovic - who will move into the final of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on Friday?
by SID
last edit: Jul 29, 2021, 07:30 pm
The thought of the medal so tangibly close made Alexander Zverev's eyes shine, the dream of gold lives more than ever - but in a flash his expression darkened again. Because between him and the longed-for Olympic victory stands the hunter of the Golden Slam, the seemingly invincible Novak Djokovic. "I know that I have the toughest opponent in tennis in front of me," said Zverev after his entry into the semi-finals in Tokyo: "And I know that I have to play my best tennis to have a chance at all."
With the extremely dominant 6: 4, 6: 1 against the French Jeremy Chardy, Zverev earned two chances to get the second medal in the men's singles for the German Tennis Federation (DTB) since silver for Tommy Haas in 2000 in Sydney. The fifth in the world rankings prefer gold - and for that he has to bring the exceptional player Djokovic to his knees on Friday (2nd match after 8.00 a.m. CEST / Eurosport and ZDF).
Zverev with a lot of respect
When Zverev looked ahead to the delightful semi-final hit, the Grand Slam record champion had long since sent his declaration of war. "The matches are not getting any easier, but my level is getting better and better," said the Serb after the 6-2, 6-0 win against Rio bronze medalist Kei Nishikori from Japan. That sounded like a threat. "Novak is currently the best player in the world for a reason," said Zverev.
Djokovic, who eliminated Laura Siegemund and Kevin Krawietz in the mixed quarter-finals on Thursday with Nina Stojanovic, is currently dominating the scene almost at will. The 34-year-old has been unbeaten for 22 matches, his season record is 38 wins and only three defeats. Zverev was also no match for him in the last encounter in the spring in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Of a total of eight duels, the German won at least two, including the final of the ATP Finals 2018 - Zverev's biggest title to date.
Djokovic wants the Golden Slam
A medal at the Olympics would top this by worlds. "You don't just play for yourself here. You don't just play for your own team - you play for your own country," said the 24-year-old with a lot of pathos in his voice.
And what Jan-Lennard Struff did not manage in the second round, Zverev should now succeed - Djokovic in his hunt for the Golden Slam, the combination of all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold medal, which the men have not yet achieved To trip up. So far, this masterpiece has only been achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988, but Zverev does not want to see himself as a possible stumbling block in Djokovic's reach for the stars. "At the end of the day, my biggest motivation is to get a medal," he said, "and hopefully gold."