Alexander Zverev did not hide the emotional turmoil he experienced while winning Roland Garros, describing that week as “one of the worst” of his life, despite achieving the greatest triumph of his career. After eliminating Valentin Royer with a convincing score of 6-1, 6-3, 7-6, and securing his place in the third round of Wimbledon, the German once again showed candor by admitting the weight of the pressure and how he dealt with the immense expectations that fell upon him following the early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in Paris.
In yesterday's match, Zverev demonstrated solidity, clearly outclassing the French player Royer in the first two sets and only allowing some balance in the third. The encounter took place on the hallowed grass courts of Wimbledon, where the German seeks to solidify his status among the elite of world tennis. Despite the comfortable victory, Zverev refused to label himself as the favorite to lift the trophy in London, emphasizing that, in his eyes, “Sinner is the big favorite” and positioning himself as only the “third choice,” also behind Novak Djokovic, who has won the tournament seven times.
THE 2026 WORLD CUP IS EXPERIENCED WITH LEGO
Zverev's sincerity was evident in his post-match statements to Prime Video, where he detailed his tactical approach: “There wasn’t really a game plan. No significant tactical approach. But I think I played better today than in the first round. It was a completely different opponent. He doesn’t serve at 225 km/h, so it’s a bit easier to play against him. You can get into more rallies and find a rhythm. I felt we had many more exchanges, even during his service games. That gives you more confidence. Overall, I thought this second round was better than the first,” explained the world number four.
However, Zverev did not get carried away by the euphoria and acknowledged that it was far from his best performance, pointing to moments of distraction, especially during the tie-break of the third set. “No, I wouldn’t say it was my best. But it was good. I felt good on the court. It was a very positive match. I played well from the baseline and returned well too. Then I lost concentration for a while, which can happen. I’ve had a very good summer, but it has also been long. I’ve played a lot of tennis, so mentally I might be a bit more tired than physically. Those lapses in concentration can happen. I hope they don’t happen again in the next rounds. But for a second round, I thought it was perfectly acceptable,” analyzed the German tennis player.
The most striking moment of the interview came when Zverev addressed his victory at Roland Garros, revealing the less visible side of success: “I have to say that, before winning, it was one of the worst weeks of my life. I had so much stress inside me. I was nervous, I was irritable, because I knew that, as soon as Sinner lost and Djokovic lost, it was now or never. Suddenly, I became the absolute favorite. That had never happened to me in a Grand Slam before. It was stressful. Everyone was talking to me about it. I held up well until the final. Then, in the final, the nerves clearly appeared. I probably played a little worse than in the previous matches because I was more nervous. But that's human. I'm not a robot. In the end, I won. That's what matters. Honestly, nothing else matters to me,” Zverev admitted, exposing the vulnerabilities that many champions seek to hide.
Despite now being the only Grand Slam champion in his half of the draw at Wimbledon, Zverev rejects the label of favorite and refuses to wave the flag. “I’m not the favorite here. Favorite? In my eyes, maybe I’m third on the list. The big favorite is Sinner. Then I would say Novak is second, because he has won this tournament seven or eight times, and that counts a lot on grass. Then maybe me,” he clarified during the press conference. When confronted with the fact that he is the only Major winner in his half of the draw, he was pragmatic: “I’ve only played against one top-10 here in my life, which was Tomáš Berdych in 2016. Since then, I haven’t faced another top-10 at Wimbledon because I’ve never gotten this far. The statistics are nice, but I still have to win my matches and play good tennis. If I do that, then yes, we can start talking about it. But we’re only in the third round. There’s still a long way to go.”
With this realistic yet ambitious stance, Zverev moves into the next phase at Wimbledon with boosted confidence, but aware that the real test is yet to come. The German now faces tougher opponents and knows that only with consistent performances can he keep alive the hope of conquering the All England Club. For now, the narrative of Wimbledon is marked by Zverev's brave outpouring, as he is unafraid to show that behind every victory, there are always inner battles that the public rarely imagines.
O MUNDIAL 2026 VIVE-SE COM A LEGO
NOW YOU CAN FOLLOW THE WORLD CUP WITH ALL THE INFORMATION – HERE
Discover more from Apito Final
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
