Exhausted before the US Open: Can barely stand: Zverev loses, opponent Alcaraz worries
Zverev gives cause for concern.
(Photo: dpa)
Even the winner feels sorry for Alexander Zverev and is concerned about his condition. The top German tennis player already had physical problems in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, but still won convincingly. In the semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz, it was a different story. Zverev stalked the court, exhausted, and lost.
Alexander Zverev lost the semifinal in Cincinnati, completely exhausted, and has to worry about his health one week before the start of the US Open. As in the quarterfinals, Germany's top tennis pro was completely physically exhausted in the second set of his duel with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, at times moving at a sluggish pace across the court. The fact that he ultimately lost the semifinal of the Masters tournament by a score of 4:6, 3:6 was remarkable given the 28-year-old's obvious problems.
Alcaraz is now in his seventh consecutive ATP tournament final and will face Jannik Sinner of Italy on Monday. Sinner defeated tournament surprise Térence Atmane of France 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 on his birthday and marched on to the final without dropping a set.
"Wish him all the best"Alcaraz said of Zverev: "It's never easy to play against someone who isn't at 100 percent. He's such a good player and a good guy off the court; we have a great relationship." He continued: "It was good tennis, a good level, and then all of a sudden he started feeling unwell, and my mind went there instead of focusing on myself. I wish him all the best."
Although Zverev could barely walk or stand in the second set, he even managed a rebreak after losing his service game. Alcaraz committed four double faults in the match, allowing Zverev to stay in the game, at least on paper, until the score was 3-3.
But judging by the visual appearance, the Hamburg native was clearly unable to counteract his body's signals. Whenever possible, he sat down, placed ice packs around his shoulders, and eventually interrupted the match for a medical examination. "Everything's spinning around me," he told the doctor. All attempts to control his physical difficulties failed. A place in the final was out of the question.
Source: ntv.de, ara/dpa
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