Alexander Zverev has and had a good handful of unfinished business. The first, in principle settled, with the Berlin court that this Thursday filed the case of the German tennis player for gender violence against his ex-partner and mother of his son, who denounced him following an argument in 2020 in which the athlete, stated the accusation, he would have pushed him against the wall and tried to suffocate him. He will have to pay a fine of 200,000 euros to close the process. “It means that he is done, that they have closed the case; They wouldn’t shut it down if you’re guilty. “I never want to hear another question about this topic, and that goes for everyone,” he responded morosely after beating the Norwegian Casper Ruud on Friday (2-6, 6-2, 6-2 and 6-2) and reaching his first final at Roland Garros, the second in a major after the 2020 US Open.
Zverev also has the will to close the circle that unfortunately opened two years ago in Paris, when during the semi-final against Rafael Nadal – the second of the four consecutive ones he has played – he maneuvered horizontally to chase a ball and his ankle. right was shattered: seven damaged ligaments, surgery, more than half a year out and, later, a tough fight to recover the lost ground, on the run and while the outbreak of the last generation, led precisely by Carlos Alcaraz, loomed.
“In some way, the fact that I am now going to play the final against him (this Sunday, at 3:00 p.m.; Eurosport and DMAX) is like a symmetry. It was a terrible injury and the journey he has made these two years has not been easy at all,” comments British Tim Henman, Eurosport analyst. “First is the final in New York, in which I was only two points away from the goal (he lost against the Austrian Dominic Thiem, who was two sets behind). But then he wasn’t ready, he wasn’t mature enough. And then what happened here, when they had to carry me off the track in a wheelchair. To come back, you need to do it even more hungry, with the desire to win more. In a way, you dive into yourself, and there is a risk of falling mentally, so I am very glad that I took this path and that I have this opportunity. I am no longer a child, I have grown up. If not now, then when?” he claims.
Zverev, a tennis player in the direction of sporting maturity who in his day, when he was beginning to appear among the elite, raised enormous expectations that have not been fully met. He has no shortage of trophies (22); nor any relevant achievements such as the two Masters Cups (2018 and 2021), the six Masters 1000 (Rome (2), Cincinnati, Madrid (2) and Canada) or the Olympic gold that he won; he has defeated the three giants, Roger Federer (4-3 in his favor), Nadal (4-7) and Novak Djokovic (4-8); and he has risen to second position in the world. However, the laurel of a Grand Slam eludes him. “I haven’t won it yet, but I’ve had opportunities,” he points out, aware of the new dimension that a victory could give him on Sunday, in the Chatrier and against Alcaraz; “I have been the player of my generation who has won the most titles. And now I’m here, and if you’re in a final it’s because you deserve it. “I think I had a fantastic tournament.”
A ‘rock’, a ‘rocket’
The German (27 years old) is at a crucial moment in his career. Repressed in the land of majors by the three giants, now faces the emergence of two phenomena, Alcaraz and Sinner, who have overtaken the intermediate batch on the right. It is, in some way, a now or never for him, the protagonist at the beginning and also at the end of the tournament. He landed in the Bois de Boulogne after winning for the second time in Rome and threatening, noted by most experts. And he knocked down Nadal in three sets, without any speculation. “After beating him, I thought he had already won the title. But it was only the first round…” he admitted. From there, some curveballs—five-set wins against Tallon Griekspoor and Holger Rune, four-set wins against Ruud—and, above all, a lot of determination. He has not decompressed and psychologically has managed to overcome a thorny personal situation, trial involved.
“Before he used to complain a lot more, but now he’s there until the end. Mentally, right now he is a rock and physically, he is going like a rocket despite having played several times (two, the same as the Murcian) at night,” explains Àlex Corretja, axis of Eurosport television broadcasts. “Before the tournament started, he had the feeling that he was the man to beat, and now I think it’s the best final we could have. It would also have been great if Djokovic had arrived (withdrawal due to injury), but taking into account the situation, it is the best possible. He is a fantastic player, but I think Carlitos has something more,” adds the Barcelona native.
Until now, both have met nine times, with a favorable balance to Hamburg (5-4). And on clay, three duels, two in Madrid that fell on the Spaniard’s side (2022 and 2023), and one at Roland Garros, when the giant won in the quarterfinals. “He is playing great tennis on clay: great serve, great shots, very solid,” says Alcaraz. “We’ve had very tough battles in the past, of course, but I think he’s much better now. I am probably the opponent he has played against the most (with this 10 times, one more than against Sinner). It will be difficult, it is the final of a Grand Slam. We will have a tough battle,” concludes Zverev, who will try to be more fortunate than his compatriot Michael Stich, defeated by Yevgueni Kafelnikov in the 1996 final. Located one step away, once again, from that desired prize that never arrives; perhaps, before the last train that leads to the final jump.
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