Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev engaged in furious back-and-forth combat on Monday, extending their fourth-round match to five sets. After the match, the German player said he had been playing on one leg.
Fritz claimed that the match was very typical to him up until he broke Zverev in the fifth set, which helped him win 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3. That assessment seems to even surprise Fritz.
Zverev injured his left knee after a dislocated ankle in the previous round, and he appeared on Centre Court on Monday with a leg brace.
However, Zverev’s post-match comments were a bit surprising given that he proceeded to consistently shower his opponent with missiles travelling at 130 mph, delivering 19 thunderbolt aces, producing 55 winners, and even winning the longest rally of the match, which lasted 21 shots.
Zverev told the media after the match and said: “It was fairly obvious that I wasn’t 100% today, right? I wasn’t moving really the entire match. If I was running for a drop shot, I was limping there more than running. There weren’t really long rallies because I couldn’t play long rallies. Credit to him that he came back but it wasn’t a great tennis match. It (the knee) is nothing that I need surgery on. It is nothing that doesn’t heal by itself. It just needs time.”
He added: “I do know that also I had a great opportunity here at Wimbledon. I didn’t want to pull out. Yesterday I couldn’t walk even. Today I felt much, much better. That’s why I did try to play. I also knew I had a great opportunity this year at Wimbledon. It’s the best I’ve probably ever felt on the Wimbledon courts, the best maybe I’ve ever played here. I definitely didn’t want to go out without fighting. At the same time, I was limited. It is how it is. I’m still proud of what I could do today.”
Alexander Zverev in 2024
Ranked no.4, Zverev played his last match on the 8th of July when he was defeated by world no.12 Taylor Fritz 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3 in the 4th round in Wimbledon (draw).
Currently, during this season Zverev has managed to achieve a composed 40-12 record. Zverev conquered 2 titles in 2024 in Australia and Rome. The German was the runner-up at the French Open.
Alexander Zverev will play the world no.17 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round Robin on Sunday at 2:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their current head to head is 6-2 for Zverev.
The German conquered 2 titles in 2024 in Australia and Rome. The German reached the final at the French Open.
The German won 23 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts and 7 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Zverev will compete next in Hamburg (Hamburg Open). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 15th of July.
Taylor Fritz in 2024
At the moment ranked no.12, the American played his last match on the 8th of July when he defeated world no.4 Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3 in the 4th round in Wimbledon (draw).
During this season Fritz achieved a compiled 35-12 record. The American clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Delray Beach and Eastbourne. Fritz reached the final in Munich.
Taylor Fritz will compete against the world no.8 Casper Ruud in the Round Robin. Their actual record is 2-0 for Ruud.
Taylor clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Delray Beach and Eastbourne. Fritz was the finalist in Munich (BMW Open).
The American won 9 titles in his career: 6 on hard courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz played each other 9 times. Their current head to head is 5-4 for Zverev. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Taylor Fritz won 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 6-3 in the 4th round in London (Wimbledon) on the 8th of July 2024.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz |
| Embed from Getty Images |