Alexander Zverev waved his arms, encouraging the audience in Berlin’s Uber Arena to support him even more. The fans also cheered him on as much as they could, chanting “Let’s go, Sascha, let’s go!” over and over again. But all the loud help from outside did not seem to be enough on this day, Zverev was against Frances Tiafoe with 6:7 and 2:4. Team World was only two games away from successfully defending its title at the Laver Cup.
But Zverev managed a miraculous resurrection. He got the break back and then the second set 7:5. In the match tiebreak he finally won 10:5 and while the American left the court in frustration, Zverev jumped for joy and was hugged by his teammates including captain Björn Borg. Instead of 7:14, the score was 10:11, and in the last match of the day Carlos Alcaraz had it on his racket to bring the Laver Cup back to Europe.
During the three days in Berlin, Zverev never really felt confident, he kept making minor mistakes and didn’t seem 100 percent fit. On Saturday evening, he stunned the journalists present after his match against Taylor Fritz with the statement: “I don’t feel well, I’ve had a fever for days,” he said.
When asked, he did not want to go into detail: “I was somewhat gagged by my management,” he said, referring to his brother. He said: “It’s about a person’s health and we won’t say anything about it.” Alexander Zverev’s physical condition repeatedly raised questions this yearmore than once minor aches and illnesses stopped him.
Nevertheless, he played at the Laver Cup on Sunday and gave everything he had. His serve repeatedly flew over the net at 210 km/h, and Zverev also worked with his usual commitment on the baseline. And yet, as the match progressed, the impression grew that he was occasionally missing the final step. He also had to cough again and again.
Team Europe had hoped for a strong Zverev and he really needed it, as other players were also weak. Daniil Medvedev lost both of his singles matches and said afterwards that he had played terribly. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud also had more shadows than lights.
That’s how it was Carlos Alcaraz, who also gave his team hope on SundayIn the opening doubles, he brought his partner Ruud to victory, having been the only one to score points on Saturday. Five of the seven points for Europe up to that point went to the Spaniard. Nevertheless, another player definitely needed points on the day.
And Alexander Zverev was actually responsible for that, because he never gave up despite being behind and the crowd clapped the last of his energy out of him. “I had to give it my all, but the team supported me and the stadium was great. It was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced,” he said in his winner’s interview on the court with a hoarse voice. Either way: The German now has to wait and see how things go for him this season.
