Alexander Zverev unfazed by potential Wimbledon lion’s den for Arthur Fery clash
No 2 seed set to be public enemy No 1 on Centre Court when he faces home favourite for right to meet Novak Djokovic or Jannik Sinner in final
A year ago Alexander Zverev found himself swallowed up by a dark hole following a shock first-round exit from Wimbledon.
What a difference 12 months has made for the German.
The tortured man who had repeatedly described his existence as “lonely”, and talked of “needing therapy”, just 12 months ago was all smiles after he reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the first time.
Breaking into the grand slam winner’s circle at the 41st attempt, when he won the French Open last month, has finally freed him from his demons and Zverev, 29, now stands just two wins away from joining a select group of players to have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year.
If he is to add his name to the list of six men in Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz who have achieved that feat in the professional era, Zverev, the No 2 seed, will not only have to overcome World No 114 British wildcard Arthur Fery but also a partisan Centre Court crowd.
“I’m almost 30 years old, I’ve been on tour for long enough and I feel like I’ve seen the most hostile crowds, I’ve seen tough crowds, I’ve seen unfair crowds as well,” said Zverev, who toppled American No 6 seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets on Wednesday to reach the last four.