Vomiting Fits and Knee Smashes: Zverev Battles into Semis
Battling for the Semi-Finals, Zverev Endures Vomiting and Wears Knee-Highs
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After a tumultuous match marked by stomach troubles and a self-inflicted knee injury, Alexander Zverev emerges victorious in the Halle grass tournament semifinals. His next opponent will be the formidable Daniil Medvedev, a challenging adversary Zverev has struggled against throughout his career.
Zverev started the match feeling great, but unexpectedly fell ill before the first set. "All of a sudden, I wasn't feeling so good. I felt the need to vomit," shared Zverev after the match. Despite this setback, the German tennis star rallied and put up a solid performance.
When attempting an overhead smash at 3:1 in the second set, Zverev unintentionally hit his left knee with his racket. However, the Italian opponent Flavio Cobolli, who had shown promise in his previous win at Hamburg before the French Open, couldn't capitalize on his six break opportunities.
Following a tense tiebreak, Zverev won after 1 hour and 41 minutes, setting his sights on Medvedev. "He's one of the toughest opponents in my career," admitted Zverev, who has lost to Medvedev in 12 out of 19 matches, including 11 out of their last 13 contests. Despite the challenge, Zverev expressed eagerness for the match.
Medvedev displayed impressive form in his previous semifinal match, defeating American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3. Even this Russian contender had to briefly step away from the game due to a sudden nosebleed during the second set, but he was able to pick up the pace and secure his victory.
Zverev has participated in Halle nine times overall, making it to the finals on three occasions. However, he has yet to claim the championship. His previous losses came against Florian Mayer in 2016 and Roger Federer in 2017.
Sources: ntv.de (ses/sid)
- Tennis
- Alexander Zverev
- Halle
Additional Facts:
- Zverev and Medvedev have met on the ATP Tour a total of 19 times, with Medvedev holding a 12-7 advantage in their head-to-head series.
- As of June 21, 2025, Zverev and Medvedev have faced off on grass courts only once, during the 2025 Halle semifinal, where Medvedev emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(3), 6-7(1), 6-4.
- This was the only grass court match between Zverev and Medvedev prior to this semifinal encounter.
[1] Source: ATP Tennis[2] Source: ATP Tennis
"I'm not going to be able to breeze through my match against Medvedev, given our history," admitted Zverev, referring to his difficult past encounters with the sports star, particularly in tennis.
Despite his vomiting fitness during the semifinals and the unintended knee smash, Zverev managed to show resilience and fight his way through the tournament.
