Zverev: New Star Of Men’s Tennis?
BY JAMES BECK
Watch out! Sasha is running loose.
The sky’s the limit now. He has the serve and game to make things difficult for the rest of men’s tennis.
Alexander Zverev is still just 29 years open.
He has the monkey off his back now that he has won a Grand Slam tournament. So, move over Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, and make room for the biggest serve in tennis and some of the best ground strokes.
Just when it was looking like Sunday’s French Open men’s final might go to the wire, Zverev jumped on the train for possible true stardom.
THE FIFTH SET WAS ALL ZVEREV
There he was dead even with impressive 24-year-old Italian Flavio Cobolli after four sets. Zverev was supposed to be signing autographs by now.
He could have panicked with Cobolli looking to be capable of ruining his dream. Dead even at deuce in the opening game of the fifth set, anything appeared to be possible.
Just then, Zverev became the real Sasha, the one that was as dangerous as anyone in men’s tennis.
He had the game. But he hadn’t taken it.
TALL GERMAN TURNED ON BURNERS
The tall German with the powerful serve turned on his burners to win the next two points to break Cobolli’s service for a 1-0 lead to start the fifth set.
All of a sudden, Zverev took over the match again. His once shaky knees shook no longer.
Three games later, Zverev had broken serve again and held his own service twice for a 4-0 lead.
Cobolli held service, but Zverev held his own service easily and then watched as Cobolli couldn’t control a wild overhead that sent Zverev into a celebration on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Finally, Zverev was a Grand Slam champion with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory.
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
