Germany’s tennis superstar Alexander Zverev garnished his historic tournament victory at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna with a declaration of love for his new flame Sophia Thomalla.
“Thank you for being by my side lately. I hope this won’t be the last time we’ll touch a trophy together,” said Zverev after his final victory in Austria’s capital against US qualifier Frances Tiafoe and grinned in Thomalla’s direction. “You have to put up with me on tour for another ten years or so.”
Thomalla is “a great woman,” added Zverev. “There is a reason why we chose each other and together. We haven’t only been together for two weeks. It has been going on for longer.”
Thomalla had also cheered Zverev on from his player box in a duel with Tiafoe. It was the actress’ first official appearance at an ATP tournament with her new boyfriend. More are likely to follow.
Alexander Zverev: “I need the energy”
In terms of sport, things are also going well for the Olympic champion from Tokyo, who already won his 18th professional title in Vienna and thus caught up with Michael Stich in the German best list. Only Boris Becker, who won 49 individual tournaments in his career, including six Grand Slam events, is now ahead of Zverev in the ranking.
“It’s great,” said Zverev. “I won Olympic gold, two Masters and two 500 tournaments. It’s very difficult to top that.”
The 24-year-old also raved about the atmosphere in the Wiener Stadthalle: “After the Corona period, I just enjoy playing in the full stadium again, something that I have missed a lot. I need the energy and am also impulsive on the pitch . “
Opponent Tiafoe praised Zverev after a one-sided match: “We have known each other for ten years. He will be a Hall-of-Famer, win a lot of Grand Slams and become number 1.”
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