The internet couldn’t do anything about it. Alexander Zverev played the forehand volley out of bounds. But the German’s anger had to go somewhere in that crucial moment of the fifth set in the semifinals at the Australian Open. So Germany’s best tennis player hit the edge of the net twice with his racket and then just stood there in the Rod Laver Arena with a blank look in his eyes for a brief moment, because he probably didn’t know exactly how this game had slipped away from him.
Zverev looked like the sure winner for a long time on Friday evening Australian time. When the game ended after midnight, he left Center Court as a loser. In the end, from the German’s point of view, the scoreboard read 7:5, 6:3, 6:7 (4:7), 6:7 (5:7), 3:6 against the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who had been out of the game for a long time found, but then managed to do what he so often does: he forced Zverev into long rallies with his unconventional style of play, from which he emerged as the winner more and more often as the game went on, until the German made more and more mistakes: there were 21 without necessity Set five, Medvedev only seven. “At the end of the second set I didn’t feel so fresh anymore. I got a bit sick after the Alcaraz game and got a bit of a fever,” said Zverev.
Medvedev never gives up
At the beginning there was hardly any sign of it. As in many games in this tournament, Medvedev usually stood far behind the baseline when returning, at least four, sometimes five meters. Zverev took advantage of this by serving a little slower but more placed. The German seemed well prepared in other ways too. Zverev waited patiently for his chances, then repeatedly attacked and went to the net. The German appeared at the front a total of 75 times and scored the point 55 times.
But Medvedev is known as a player who never gives up. The 2021 US Open winner moved his return position further forward as the game progressed and then came into the game better in the third set. “I was a bit lost after the second set and also tired. That’s why I had to play a little more aggressively,” Medvedev said. Zverev was no longer able to play as close to the lines as before.
And his opponent suddenly seemed to be everywhere: left, right, front and back – no matter which part of the court Zverev played, Medvedev was there. This can be grueling. On the tour they sometimes refer to the Russian as an octopus because it sometimes seems as if he has eight arms with which he can reach the balls that no one else can. Medvedev only won the tiebreak in set three because he was more active and Zverev hit a simple forehand into the net when the score was 4:5.
In the tiebreak in set four, when the score was 5:5, he unintentionally hit a stop ball with the return that was out of reach for Zverev. By then the tentacle man seemed to have a tighter grip on his opponent. “I’ve been playing really well for a few months. It’s frustrating that I wasn’t 100 percent fit, but hopefully it won’t be my last chance,” said Zverev.
Djokovic also fails
Medvedev will now face Jannik Sinner in the final, who defeated Novak Djokovic 6:1, 6:2, 6:7 (6:8), 6:3. For a long time it was a puzzling performance from the Serb, who played anything but well in the first two sets. But also a demonstration of Sinner’s strength, who didn’t let anything deter him.
Even after Djokovic won the third set and Sinner had already missed a match point, there was no sign of nervousness on the part of the Italian. In a direct comparison, Medvedev leads 6:3 against Sinner. But the Italian has won all of the last three games. Sinner has developed enormously since he lost to Zverev at the US Open last year and hardly shows any weaknesses.
And what remains of this tournament for Zverev? In any case, the realization that after his serious injury at the French Open 2022 he is once again playing on an equal footing with the best players in the world. That was shown by the win against Carlos Alcaraz, but also the game against Medvedev. Zverev showed weaknesses especially in the first week, where he left a lot of strength against nominally weaker opponents. Still, he kept coming.
Trouble with penalty order
This gives hope for the next highlight of the year, when Zverev will probably be even more concerned with another topic. International media also reported in detail from Melbourne about his upcoming court hearing and the penalty order that the Tiergarten district court imposed in October 2023.
Zverev is to pay a fine of 450,000 euros (90 daily rates of 5,000 euros each) for bodily harm because he is said to have attacked a former partner in a dispute. He rejects the allegations. He is taking legal action against the penalty order.
The matter was still a major issue for several days. Numerous players were asked whether it was appropriate that Zverev was elected to the ATP Players Council by his colleagues. Most people didn’t want to talk about it and avoided it.
David Lindenfeld, Melbourne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1 Published/Updated: David Lindenfeld, Melbourne Published/Updated: Recommendations: 1
But there was also occasional criticism. “It is certainly not good when a player who is faced with such allegations is promoted, so to speak,” said world number one Iga Swiatek. The date for the trial is in May, when the French Open is underway. Zverev doesn’t have to appear in person, but he can be sure: it won’t just be about how he plays tennis in Paris.
