After his redemption at the French Open, Alexander Zverev is not devastated by his loss in the Wimbledon final. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praises him.
Alexander Zverev didn’t even wait for the question to end. “One hundred percent,” he said, “I can cope better with the bitter final defeat at Wimbledon after my redeeming triumph at the French Open,” said the Hamburg native: “I’m sitting here thinking that I played a fantastic tennis match and a fantastic tournament. If I had lost in Paris and then lost here again, I wouldn’t be sitting here like this.”
In fact, at his press conference following his 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (2-7), 3-6, 4-6 loss to the Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Zverev did not come across as a dejected loser. “Of course, I would have loved to lift the trophy,” said the 29-year-old, “but he was better than me today, and he deserved the win.”
For a long time, however, Zverev and Sinner had been locked in a thrilling, evenly matched duel. It wasn’t until the third set that the new and former champion shifted the momentum in his favor, aided in part by a fall by Zverev in which he hyperextended his knee. “It’s actually a little swollen,” said the German, who added that he could still “walk normally.”
Wimbledon: Chancellor Merz Praises Zverev
And so Zverev received high praise from all sides. “World-class tennis at Wimbledon. A great and fair match. Too bad it didn’t work out,” wrote Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had watched the final from the front row of the Royal Box and subsequently visited Zverev in the locker room, on Instagram: “Still, it was a pleasure to be there. Thank you for your effort.”
The Chancellor and he had “exchanged a few words,” said the Tokyo Olympic champion: “It was nice that he was there.”
After intense weeks and months, Zverev now wants to “take a few days off at some point.” Afterward, the pursuit of success with his more aggressive playing style is set to continue.
“In Paris, I won my first Grand Slam title of my career. I made it to the final here for the first time in my career. Of course, things have to be going well,” said Zverev: “Is it perfect yet? No. But I think we’re on the right track.”