Alexander Zverev has begun his title quest at Wimbledon with considerable difficulty.
Twenty-three days after his victory at the French Open, the Hamburg native defeated Belgium’s Alexander Blockx with a score of 6:4, 6:7 (8:10), 7:6 (7:5), and 7:6 (7:0), marking his eighth appearance in the second round of the grass-court classic. However, Zverev will need to significantly improve his performance if he is to secure his second Grand Slam title. He did demonstrate mental fortitude in the final two tiebreaks on Centre Court.
Twelve months ago, Zverev was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon by France’s Arthur Rinderknech, and his best performance on Church Road has never extended beyond the round of 16. Following his triumphant win in Paris, Zverev began on his less favored surface with high confidence, but he was pushed to his limits in his third encounter of the year against Blockx. After a tricky opening match, he will now face France’s Valentin Royer, ranked 75th in the world, in the next round.
Before Zverev, Yannick Hanfmann advanced to the second round for the first time after defeating France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6:7 (6:8), 7:6 (11:9), 6:2, 6:3. On the first day of competition, Jan-Lennard Struff had already secured his opening win, and Daniel Altmaier could join the trio on Tuesday with a victory against Alex Molcan of Slovakia.
Zverev and His Difficult Relationship with Wimbledon: ‘A Different Feeling This Year’
Zverev had stated before his opening match that Wimbledon had «always been the Grand Slam tournament» where he «had the most difficulty,» but added, «Personally, I have a different feeling this year.» Both players initially held their serves until Zverev managed to break for a 5:4 lead, subsequently winning the set. Blockx proved to be a tenacious opponent in only his second grass-court match, forcing a decider in a dramatic tiebreak.
Zverev repeatedly missed opportunities as the match progressed. In the third set, the Hamburg player caused a moment of alarm when he slipped and fell on the grass. However, Zverev remained uninjured and ultimately prevailed in the next two tiebreaks.
English Translation:
Alexander Zverev has started his title mission at Wimbledon with much effort. Twenty-three days after his victory at the French Open, the Hamburg native defeated Belgium’s Alexander Blockx 6:4, 6:7 (8:10), 7:6 (7:5), 7:6 (7:0) and advanced to the second round of the grass-court classic for the eighth time. However, Zverev will have to significantly improve to achieve his second Grand Slam victory. At least he showed nerve strength in the last two tiebreaks on Centre Court.
Twelve months ago, Zverev was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon by Arthur Rinderknech from France, and he has never progressed further than the round of 16 on Church Road. After the liberating triumph in Paris, Zverev started with a lot of self-confidence on his unloved surface, but in his third win of the year against Blockx, he was pushed to his limits. After the tricky opening, he will now face Frenchman Valentin Royer, ranked 75th in the world, in the next round.
Before Zverev, Yannick Hanfmann advanced to the second round for the first time with a 6:7 (6:8), 7:6 (11:9), 6:2, 6:3 win against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. On the first day of competition, Jan-Lennard Struff had already won his opener, and Daniel Altmaier could follow the trio on Tuesday with a win against Alex Molcan from Slovakia.
Zverev and his difficult relationship with Wimbledon: ‘A different feeling this year’
«Wimbledon has always been the Grand Slam tournament where I’ve had the most difficulty,» Zverev had said before his opener. «Personally, however, I have a different feeling this year.» Both players initially held their service games without any issues until Zverev managed to break for 5:4 and subsequently won the set. Blockx proved to be a tenacious opponent in only his second grass-court match, forcing a tiebreak to level the score.
Zverev repeatedly missed opportunities as the match progressed. In the third set, the Hamburg player caused a moment of concern when he slipped and fell on the grass. However, Zverev remained unharmed – and gained the upper hand in the next two tiebreaks.