The image of Roger Federer, the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time, sitting alone in the Royal Box while waiting for the start of Alexander Zverev's match became the most striking moment of the day at the All England Club. The Swiss player's solitary presence, owner of 20 Grand Slam titles, surprised everyone watching the fourth round between Zverev and Jiri Lehecka.
The match, held on Monday, July 6, was marked by a suspension due to the tournament's 11 PM curfew. When it resumed the following day, Alexander Zverev prevailed over Lehecka with set scores of 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, and 7-6(6), thus securing his first-ever place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals of his career.
In the press conference following his victory, Zverev was asked about the moment he saw Federer watching his match, completely alone in the Royal Box. The German responded without hesitation: “Yes, I saw him. At one point, he was completely alone in the Royal Box. I think it was a phenomenal sight. But I saw him before the match as well. He congratulated me on Roland Garros, too. It was very nice of him to stay.” Zverev, who has a positive record of 4-3 in head-to-head encounters with Federer, also appreciated the Swiss's gesture.
This was a special moment for Zverev, who recently won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, defeating Flavio Cobolli in a five-set final after three previous final losses. Now, the German is preparing to face Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, an opponent who has posed many challenges for him. The American has won the last seven encounters between them and has five grass titles from seven finals played.
Zverev acknowledged Fritz's recent superiority, stating, “I think that in the last times we played, honestly, it was quite straightforward. Excluding the match in Halle, because I had issues (I openly admitted, I was having a lot of sugar problems), in the other matches he was simply better than me. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. He was in better shape. He played better than I did. That’s all.” Despite the unfavorable history, Zverev remains confident: “Now I feel different. I feel like I’m playing better, I feel in better shape. I believe I can win tomorrow.”
The winner of this duel will face Flavio Cobolli or Arthur Fery in the semi-finals, while the other semi-final will feature a clash of giants between reigning champion Jannik Sinner and seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic. The outcome of these matches promises to revolutionize the landscape of world tennis in this edition of Wimbledon.
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