Against Alcaraz in Melbourne
The highlight match awaits “idiot” Zverev
January 22, 2024, 8:00 p.m
Again it takes a long time, again it takes a lot of strength: Germany’s best tennis player Alexander Zverev is in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after the next thriller – but needs a clear improvement to have a chance against top player Carlos Alcaraz.
After his next marathon match, Alexander Zverev immediately received a scolding from his father. “He said: You idiot, you could have easily won in three sets. Then we could have celebrated my birthday,” said Zverev humorously after his five-set thriller in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. He had completely forgotten his dad’s birthday.
“I’ll get something else,” Zverev announced, even if his quarter-final entry in Melbourne was gift enough. That’s how he worked out a real highlight match for himself and his family against the Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz – in which the Hamburg native is the underdog after his fluctuating performances at the first major tournament of the year.
First of all, Zverev was happy to still be in the tournament after a thriller. “At the end of the day it’s a Grand Slam, everyone is playing their best tennis here. I’m just happy to be through,” said Zverev after his four-hour show of strength at 7:5, 3:6, 6:3, 4: 6, 7:6 (10:3) against Briton Cameron Norrie.
Boris Becker calls him the “marathon man”
Meanwhile, the Spaniard Alcaraz clearly defeated the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 6:4, 6:4, 6:0 and, unlike Zverev, was able to save energy. “If I play like I did today, I will get my chances. I’m looking forward to the match,” said Alcaraz about the duel with Zverev, for whom it is the eleventh quarter-final in one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. From a German perspective, only Boris Becker has been in a quarter-final more often (23).
“In the end it’s a Grand Slam where everyone plays their best tennis. And Cameron played incredibly well today,” said Zverev after the next shaking game. In the second round he only won against the Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein in the tiebreak of the fifth set. “I’m just happy that I’m further along.” Becker was also relieved. “I would say marathon man Sascha Zverev. Something happens to him in the fifth set, the mentality is right,” said Becker as a TV expert on Eurosport.
“You have to turn your head off”
Alcaraz is a player of the “new generation, he is very successful,” said Zverev. “The Australians don’t know him that well yet, but they will get to know him well over the next 25 years,” said the Hamburg resident: “But I hope this is my day in the quarter-finals.” Alcaraz is also looking forward to the showdown: “I love playing against him. It will be a great match for the spectators.”
Zverev had a flawless record of four wins and 8-0 sets against Norrie before the round of 16 game, but that didn’t help him on Monday. The Olympic champion had to go into the match tiebreak again, but in the end he got the upper hand again with strong nerves and made the third quarter-final in Melbourne perfect in his career.
“You have to turn your head off, think about the next shot and the next point,” said Zverev at Eurosport when he converted his first match point after 4:05 hours. As sixth in the world rankings, on paper he is actually one of the extended favorites Down Under – but he can no longer afford to fluctuate against Alcaraz.