Early bankruptcy in Munich
Top favorite Zverev scolds himself against number 106
April 19, 2024, 4:51 p.m
Munich is still not a good tennis place for Alexander Zverev. Once again the top favorite is eliminated early. It’s already over in the quarter-finals – and he’s not only struggling with his opponent, who is 106th in the world rankings.
Alexander Zverev tried everything. He went to the net, hit from below, and got into a fight with the referee out of sheer frustration – but against all odds and a self-confident opponent, he couldn’t find a solution. In wet and cold weather, the number one seed from Hamburg failed with a score of 4:6, 4:6 in the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Munich against Chilean Cristian Garin.
Especially in the second set, Zverev let his anger out and took it out on referee Richard Haigh. “It’s been raining non-stop for three hours. And no one thinks for a second about stopping,” he complained. When the score was 2:4, the Olympic champion added: “I’ll give up the next two games and then I’ll be done here. That’s really ridiculous. I’m slipping with every step I take.”
Zverev quickly chased a break in the first set in seven degrees, wind and constant drizzle and rarely saw land against the confident Garin. The Chilean, only number 106 in the world rankings, played largely flawlessly, and he repeatedly disrupted the rhythm of the fifth in the world rankings with variable shots. After a break from Garin to make it 4:2 in the second set, it was over after exactly two hours and the second match point.
After Munich is before Madrid
Zverev briefly waved to the audience again and then quickly walked away from the inhospitable Center Court. He still has to wait for his first tournament win this year, and also for a third title in Munich after 2017 and 2018. Zverev already had a defeat in the quarter-finals in Munich in 2019 Garin lost, who went on to win the tournament. In the past two years he had already failed in the round of 16 of the BMW Open. Next week Zverev will play the Masters in Madrid. He has already won there twice – in much better external conditions.
After his opening win, Zverev had already emphasized how much he was struggling with the conditions. The extreme cold was the “biggest challenge” for him, he said. “It disrupts my game more than anything else.” In addition, due to the high humidity after the continuous rain, “the ball is not alive, the pitch is not alive.”
Garin will face Taylor Fritz of the USA on the way to the final on Sunday. The 13th in the world rankings, ranked number three in Munich, defeated the British Jack Draper 4:6, 6:1, 7:6 (7:1). Fritz also had to struggle with the external circumstances. “It’s tough, it’s really cold, the wind is strong, it’s difficult conditions,” he said.