After shattering the hopes of ATP world number 1 Novak Djokovic for a Golden Slam by defeating him at the semifinal round of the Tokyo Olympics, Germany’s Alexander Zverev went on to capture the gold medal. For the men’s final, Zverev faced Russian Karen Khachanov to clinch the title and tell everyone that he is on his way to the next level of his promising career.
Understandably, it was an emotional win for Zverev who swept his opponent in straight sets at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo and won the first Olympic gold medal in men’s tennis for his country. The world number 5 and former number 3 played against the world number 28 for an hour and 19 minutes before prevailing 6-3, 6-1 and marking the victory as one of the best matches in his young career.
A major upset
At 24 years old, Zverev has won the 2018 ATP finals and four Masters 1000 titles before playing at the 2020 Olympics. Of course, everyone was shocked when the German dashed the hopes of world number 1 Djokovic for a rare and almost first Golden Slam in men’s tennis, but it was nonetheless an impressive showing as Zverev prepares for the final major of the year: the US Open.
As for Djokovic, who also failed to capture the Bronze medal when he went up against Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3, injury and exhaustion got the better of the champion and perhaps dented his confidence as he now makes his way towards a Calendar Slam.
During the finals match against Khachanov, Zverev gave the opening serve, eventually creating a breakpoint from a series of blistering forehands and a great smash during game three. Giving his opponent slim chances in every play, the German went on for a mostly lopsided match spare for a breakpoint that Khachanov earned to grab the lead at 4-2.
The gold medalist broke off his opponent’s serve both in the 3rd and 9th games of the 1st set, which somehow forced Khachanov to commit a weak volley that floated wide. From then on, Zverev came out hitting big serves and efficient backhands while also resorting to a few drop shots and topspin lobs.
Zverev then hit nine winners, giving the 2018 Paris Masters champion more pressure going into the 2nd set. The Russian was able to win the 2nd game of that set, allowing him to take the advantage from two breakpoints. Eventually, Zverev proved to be the more dominant of the two as he took a 5-0 lead before forcing Khachanov to shoot the ball high into the streamers. Zverev then hit back from a 0-30 to win the match.
A new player
Fans were quick to assume that there was something different about how Zverev played the final, that he might just have found another weapon in his arsenal. He considered his semifinal win against Djokovic as one of the proudest moments of his career, making him realize that he had to stop rallying and focus more on his ball swing. And since the match was played on the world stage, Zverev’s level of playing was on a whole other level as he told the press that this time, he was playing for the country and not solely for himself.
For those who witnessed Zverev’s performance during the latter part of the US Open final 11 months ago, most of the German’s game revolved around slices and soft second serves. In the match against Austrian Dominic Thiem, who won in five hard-fought sets, Zverev gained a two-set lead before going on a 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6 downward spiral. Fans noted his determination at the trophy ceremony, where he cried in frustration.
This time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics final, he managed to blast a 130 mile per hour ace to secure himself within two points for the win. Fans saw him push a perfect backhand volley for match point before executing a strong forehand from the middle of the court for the gold. Khachanov could not do anything but fall to his knees after sending the ball into the bottom of the net to seal the match.
Setting up his first Grand Slam title
Joining the ranks of Rafael Nadal, who won the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics and Andy Murray in the following 2016 Rio Olympics, Zverev has put himself closer to the top ranks of men’s tennis with his gold win. Of course, both Big Three members Nadal and Roger Federer did not play in this year’s games but the roster for this year’s Olympic games was no pushover, nonetheless.
For Zverev, the best of the best competed in the games except for Nadal, considering that Federer has been hounded by knee injuries and is somewhat at the crossroads of retiring from the sport. These issues, along with the noise outside the tennis park from protesters who came with bull horns and were calling for a halt to the games, were probably what bugged Zverev mentally during the final match. Fortunately, his focus and exceptional strategy paid off in the end.
For many who follow Zverev’s career, his gold medal achievement may just set up the stage for his first Grand Slam win. Tennis aficionados agree that the atmosphere at the Grand Slam tournaments is different from that of the Olympic Games in that players need to win three sets instead of two. However, the win is far more worth cherishing than setting his sights on a Grand Slam win for now, according to the gold medalist. If Zverev can maintain his composure and control his game with thundering backhand winners as he did in Tokyo, a Grand Slam title while he is in his 20’s might not at all be far behind.
Zverev is the second German to win the Olympic gold after Steffi Graff completed a Golden Slam in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. His gold medal win adds to that of Graff’s and another gold for men’s doubles, courtesy of Boris Becker and Michael Stich at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
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