Michael Stich advises Zverev to make a “tough” decision after defeat in the Wimbledon final
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Alexander Zverev loses the Wimbledon final against Jannik Sinner. Michael Stich speaks plainly – and his advice has a bitter aftertaste.
London – Five weeks after the first Grand Slam title of his career at the French Open, Alexander Zverev almost achieved his next big coup. But in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, Germany’s number one failed against Jannik Sinner 7:6 (9:7), 6:7 (2:7), 3:6, 4:6 – and thus missed the chance to become the first German man in 35 years to win the grass classic. The last person to do so spoke up immediately afterwards – with some tough advice.
Michael Stich, Wimbledon champion in 1991, initially paid Zverev respect after losing the final. “It was a good match, very intense tennis. In the end we saw a winner who was three or four percent more persistent, more intense and won the important points,” said the 57-year-old Prime Video. But Stich didn’t stop at mere consolation.
Sting to Zverev break: world number one dream shattered for the time being
The man from Pinneberg recommended that the 29-year-old take a break – and justified this with a blunt assessment. “I think the last six weeks, two months have taken a lot of mental energy. I hope that he doesn’t make the mistake of playing too much. That he just gives himself this time to reflect,” said Stich, who made the young Zverev cry. Then came the toughest sentence of the evening – not from Sinner, but from Stich: “To put it bluntly: He won’t be number one this year anyway. That’s very unlikely.”
With this, Stich names the central dilemma that accompanies Zverev after the final defeat. A break would mean losing valuable points in the ATP race – and thus finally burying the dream of being at the top of the world rankings this year. Stich sees this pragmatically: “He may now have to accept that the Grand Slams are the main goal. He is a bit older than the others and has to manage a bit.” As of Monday, Zverev, who was diagnosed with a knee after falling in the Wimbledon final, will climb to second place in the world rankings.
The fact that the Hamburger lost against Sinner of all people has a long history. It was the tenth defeat in a row against the world number one – Zverev had not even won a set in six consecutive games. In London he at least got the first round before Sinner turned the game around. Before kick-off, Stich had assessed the final as “50:50”.
Zverev, who showed his true greatness after losing the Wimbledon final, is now at a crossroads. Does he recover like Stich advises, or does he attack again immediately? The answer to this question is likely to be crucial for how his season continues – and whether he can compete for the big title again at the US Open. (ck)