Zverev lost every nerve in the final tiebreak
In an exciting finale at the ATP Tournament in Hamburg, Alexander Zverev ends up as the loser: In his hometown, the German number one in tennis loses to the 20-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils in three grueling sets, as he lets too many chances slip.
Alexander Zverev missed the chance to win back-to-back titles at his home tournament in Hamburg. In the final at Rothenbaum, the tennis Olympic champion lost surprisingly to the strong-playing Frenchman Arthur Fils with scores of 3:6, 6:3, 6:7 (1:7). Zverev will have to wait longer for his 23rd title on the ATP Tour - he last won in May in Rome.
Zverev missed out on further self-confidence for title defense at the upcoming Olympics in Paris, which starts the following week. Zverev's knee injury, which he sustained at the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, did not seem to cause him major problems on Sunday. However, the 27-year-old had to fight against discomfort in the heat over 30 degrees. Zverev had first triumphed in his hometown in 2023 and fulfilled a childhood dream.
Against Fils, Zverev, who had been playing relatively loosely through the tournament, found himself struggling in the match. In front of 10,000 spectators in the sold-out Tennis Stadium by the Alster, the Frenchman number 28 in the world wore down his opponent with error-free play and took the first set. Zverev, who had numerous break points, recovered but Fils was ultimately too strong. He converted his first match point after 3 hours and 33 minutes.
Despite losing in the final, Alexander Zverev still had the opportunity to showcase his skills in his hometown's tennis courts before the Olympics in Paris. Despite the 3-set defeat to Frenchman Arthur Fils, Zverev managed to play well, despite the knee injury sustained at Wimbledon and the hot weather, in the ATP Tournament in his beloved Hamburg.
