Zverev trips for a moment, Spanish dream duo flies out
Alexander Zverev carries the hopes of a German tennis medal alone at the Paris Summer Games. The Tokyo Olympics champion advances to the quarterfinals against Australia's Alexei Popyrin. There, the Spanish dream duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal falls short.
Just two steps away from a medal - the dream of a second gold lives on: Alexander Zverev is in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games, having to dig deep at times. In Paris, the Tokyo champion defeated Alexei Popyrin 7:5, 6:3, but struggled against the resilient Australian, particularly in the first set.
To reach the medal round, Zverev will need to improve against Italian Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. And if he makes it to the semifinals, he may face a rematch of the Tokyo 2021 final against Novak Djokovic.
Zverev is now the last German hope after Angelique Kerber's elimination. Earlier, Dominik Koepfer had to retire against Serbian Grand Slam record champion Djokovic 5:7, 3:6. Both doubles teams, Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz and Jan-Lennard Struff/Koepfer, also exited on Wednesday.
A day after his successful heat battle against Czech Tomas Machac, Zverev appeared somewhat erratic in the evening on the covered Court Suzanne Lenglen under more comfortable conditions. Popyrin broke early for a 2:1 lead, which Zverev chased for a long time and had to save a set point. Ultimately, he turned the set around, reacting emotionally - and the second set ran much smoother.
Nadal and Alcaraz out
Rafael Nadal's dream of another major triumph at Stade Roland Garros is over. The Spaniard lost in the doubles quarterfinals with French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz against American pair Rajeev Ram/Austin Krajicek 2:6, 4:6. In singles, Nadal lost to his eternal rival Novak Djokovic in the second round.
Whether Nadal (38) will return to the place where he won a record 14 Grand Slam titles is uncertain. Various injuries have hindered him for over a year, and he had announced that he would decide his future after the Olympics.
For Paris, Nadal had mustered his last energies. After his first-round exit in May against Alexander Zverev, he paused, skipped Wimbledon, and prepared briefly before traveling to the Olympic city in Bastad, Sweden. However, it was not enough for his third medal after individual gold in Beijing 2008 and doubles gold in Rio 2016.
Despite the Spanish dream duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal falling short in the quarterfinals, Alexander Zverev continues his tennis journey in the Paris Olympics. In the next round, Zverev will face the challenge of Italian Wimbledon semifinalist Lorenzo Musetti, with a potential semifinal showdown against Novak Djokovic looming if he advances.
