Freed from demons, Alexander Zverev eyes rare Roland Garros-Wimbledon double
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Germany's Alexander Zverev reacting during his 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 Wimbledon quarter-final win over the US’ Taylor Fritz at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, south-west London, on July 8.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON – A year ago, Alexander Zverev found himself swallowed up by a dark hole following a shock first-round exit from Wimbledon.
What a difference 12 months has made for the German.
The tortured man who had repeatedly described his existence as being “lonely” and “needing therapy” just 12 months ago was all smiles on July 8 as he reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the first time.
Breaking into the Grand Slam winner’s circle at the 41st attempt, when he won the French Open in June, has finally freed him from his demons and Zverev now stands just two wins away from joining a select group of players to have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year.
If he is to add his name to the list of six men who have achieved the feat in the professional era – a list that boasts Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz – he will not only have to overcome 114th-ranked British wild card Arthur Fery but also a fervent home crowd.
“I’m almost 30 years old, I’ve been on tour for long enough. I feel like I’ve seen the most hostile crowds, I’ve seen tough crowds, I’ve seen unfair crowds as well. I feel like I should know how to handle it, I’ve learnt how to handle it. I’m okay with it,” the second seed said, after ending a seven-match losing run against Taylor Fritz with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win to reach the semi-finals.
During the heyday of Andy Murray and Tim Henman, frenzied Wimbledon crowds could often be heard cheering the mistakes of their opponents as the duo looked to end the home nation’s long, long search for a men’s champion at the All England Club.
With Murray having ended 77 years of British heartbreak in 2013 before lifting the trophy again three years later, Zverev is confident the crowd on July 10 would be less biased.
“I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they’re always quite fair. Yes, they can be loud, they can be cheerful, but that’s okay. I don’t mind it at all,” he said.
“So yeah, I just look forward to a tough challenge in the semi-finals of a Slam.”
With Zverev ranked 111 places above the Briton, on paper, the world No. 3 will be the overwhelming favourite to write an unhappy ending to the fairy tale that has gripped the home nation.
After a torrid start for the home nation with 15 of its 19 singles players knocked out in the first round, Fery has become the unlikely standard-bearer for Britain and the French tennis authorities might be ruing one that got away.
Fery was born close to Roland Garros in the Parisian suburb of Sevres. His parents are French. Father Loic is a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who owns French football club Lorient, while mother Olivia was a former professional.
Despite briefly representing France as a junior, Fery’s credentials as a Brit are solid.
He moved to London as a child, attended King’s College School in Wimbledon, came through the British tennis system and said there was “no decision to make” when it came to his allegiance.
“He’s a true Wimbledon boy,” Fery’s father told French sports daily L’Equipe.
“It’s like someone who grew up in Boulogne playing at Roland Garros.
“He went to school five minutes from here. He’s always lived here.”
Fery was watched by Britain’s Queen Camilla from the front row of the Royal Box when he beat Italy’s ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 on July 8 and had Princess Kate cheering him on in the second round against Otto Virtanen.
“The queen, she was waiting for me at the end of the match. She congratulated me. I told her how much of an honour it was for me to play in front of her. She just said, ‘Congratulations, keep going’,” Fery told reporters.
In the women’s draw on July 9, Karolina Muchova edged out American Coco Gauff in a deciding-set tiebreak, saving a match point in a dramatic last-four clash to reach her maiden Wimbledon final.
The Czech 10th seed clinched a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10) victory and will face either compatriot Linda Noskova or Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the decider on July 11. REUTERS, AFP
