tennis
Zverev’s fun in Halle: “Whole stadium behind me”
Having fun in Halle: Alexander Zverev. photo
© Friso Gentsch/dpa
Alexander Zverev and German tournaments – it’s not always a love affair. But in Halle things are going well for the Olympic champion. Even against a Kazakh piñata?
It wasn’t long ago that Alexander Zverev sat in the press room at the BMW Open in Munich like a heap of misery. He had just lost his opening match, once again failing to meet expectations in the Bavarian capital.
“I’ve had a hard time dealing with the pressure of playing in Germany over the past few years,” said the Olympic champion, deeply disappointed. “I’m incredibly nervous. I don’t show nearly the level in the match that I show in training.”
Just two months later, the world in Halle, Westphalia, looks completely different. Zverev met all expectations by reaching the semifinals, and the tennis fans at the Terra Wortmann Open celebrate him after his victories. “I really enjoy playing in front of a German crowd. I have the feeling that the whole stadium is behind me,” said the 26-year-old after beating Chilean Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-3. “The atmosphere is really unique.”
“I was incredibly nervous”
In order to be able to enjoy this atmosphere, he always has to get through the first round first. “I was incredibly nervous in the first match,” admitted Zverev in Halle. But the clear victory against Dominic Thiem at the start seemed like a liberation. “And then I enjoy it too,” said Zverev. “But I have the feeling that I always have to get over that first hurdle. And in Munich it has always been a bit difficult for me in recent years.”
In Halle he is in the semi-finals for the first time in six years. There he will meet Alexander Bublik from Kazakhstan this Saturday (2 p.m. / ZDF). “It’s a bit like a coin toss for him which foot he gets up with. He can get up tomorrow and serve over 30 aces. But he can also serve 20 double faults,” said Zverev about his next opponent. But Zverev is already satisfied with a view of the lawn classic in Wimbledon, which begins on July 3rd. “I’m very happy with my level.”