Tennis - The knee hurts, but it holds up: Zverev in the quarterfinals
The Hamburg tennis audience was happy to finally greet their star. When Alexander Zverev stepped onto the Center Court to play his first match at the ATP-500-Tournament in his hometown, he was greeted with loud applause. A gray bandage on his swollen left knee reminded everyone of the tense three-day match against the title defender and Olympic gold medalist.
After his successful match, Zverev admitted it was a close call. "It wasn't good during the warm-up," said the 27-year-old after winning 6:2, 6:2 against Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong: "I did everything I could and decided to play 20 minutes before the match."
Quarterfinal berth not threatened
At Wimbledon, Zverev sustained a knee injury against British player Cameron Norrie. The Tokyo gold medalist spoke after his first appearance in Hamburg about a "small fracture" in his knee. It could only get worse if he overextended the leg again. That's unlikely on this surface, though. If that happens, "I'll be too dumb and will be sitting here with a complete fracture," Zverev said.
He hadn't taken painkillers, as he had in Wimbledon. Zverev: "It's a injury where it's better for my body to feel it." He doesn't anticipate any consequences for the rest of the tournament. "I would expect to keep playing now," the world number four stated: "I know how it is on the court now. It wasn't the most physical or challenging match, but it was a full match."
Zverev in command
The world number four quickly took control against de Jong in his first appearance on the historic court at Rothenbaum. After losing the first service game of the Dutchman without winning a point, Zverev became more dominant. With a cracking forehand, he earned the break for a 2:1 lead. The first set ended after 35 minutes with an ace.
The 24-year-old number 114 in the world was no major test for Germany's top tennis player in the second set either. De Jong failed to earn a single break point during a service game of Zverev's. After 77 minutes, Zverev had completed his duty.
In the round of the last 16 players of the 2 million euro tournament in Hamburg, Zverev will face Frenchman Hugo Gaston on Thursday (6:30 PM). Since the world number 81 likes to change tempos and use stop balls, a real endurance test for German tennis' most important knee is on the schedule.
Maximilian Marterer's journey ended at the quarterfinals, though. The Nuremberg player lost 0:6, 2:6 to Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo.
- Alexander Zverev's hometown tournament, the ATP500 in Hamburg, is where he had a close call due to a knee injury, just as he did at Wimbledon against Cameron Norrie.
- Despite the knee injury and needing to play with discomfort, Alexander Zverev managed to secure a quarterfinal berth in Hamburg, a contrast to his Wimbledon experience.
- In his next match at the ATP500 in Hamburg, Zverev will face a challenge from Frenchman Hugo Gaston, known for changing tempos and using stop balls, potentially testing Zverev's recovering knee.
- Alexander Zverev has had a successful start to the ATP500 tournament in his hometown of Hamburg, securing a win in the first round against Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong, who played at the Grand Slam Tournament in Tokyo and faced Cameron Norrie in Wimbledon.
