Following a day at the zoo and a round of golf, Zverev gears up for instilling fear.
Zverev Meets Fritz in Stuttgart Showdown
Tennis ace Alexander Zverev finds himself one step away from triumph in the Stuttgart tournament, but his longtime rival Taylor Fritz stands between him and glory. With home turf under his feet, Zverev is aiming to break his losing streak against Fritz and clinch his 25th career title at the Weissenhof. The last German to hoist the trophy here was Michael Stich back in 1991.
The duel unfolds on Sunday (12:00 PM/DF1), as Zverev takes on Fritz with the hopes of snapping his four-match losing streak against the American top-ten player. In a nail-biting semi-final, Zverev edged out fellow countryman Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-1).
Gearing Up for Wimbledon
This is Zverev's first visit to the Weissenhof since 2019 and his debut finale. Some might say his brief trip to a golf resort in Mallorca after his French Open disappointment wasn't the best way to prepare for the tournament, but the Tokyo Olympic champion smirked during his winner's interview and joked about doing the same for Wimbledon.
Zverev is gearing up for the Wimbledon Grand Slam from June 30 to July 13 in London and is utilizing extra practice time along with his matches. After bowing out in the French Open quarterfinals, Zverev is determined to make a run for his first-ever Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon.
"I don't know if I'll keep training," Zverev said, grinning about his post-semi-final plans, with temperatures soaring past 30 degrees Celsius. "Maybe I'll just take a dip in the pool and unwind a bit. I think I deserve a break once per week." A day before his face-off against Shelton, Zverev spent hours at the local zoo – a family affair complete with his niece and nephew.
The zoo visit didn't seem to distract Zverev, as he ruled the court against the left-handed Shelton, with dominant service games that made the contest more exciting than necessary in the first set tiebreak.
Zverev led 6-3 and had the chance to win the first set on his serve. Yet, he surrendered the lead with two cringe-worthy errors, ultimately saving a set point. The first two match points arrived at 5-4 in the second set before the decision was made in the decisive second set tiebreak. Zverev then basked in the cheers of the hometown crowd.
"I'm overjoyed to reach the final here," Zverev said, reminiscing about his last grass final in Halle, eight years ago. This year, the Australian Open finalist won his only tournament title in Munich on clay against Shelton in late April.
With the shift from the clay season to the grass season, Zverev now faces his biggest challenge on Sunday, thanks to uncertain weather forecasts, forcing the organizers to move the final to 12:00 PM.
Fritz, ranked seventh in the world and seeded second in Stuttgart, defeated Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in his semi-final, handing Zverev the chance for redemption after previous defeats against Fritz in major tournaments like Wimbledon and the US Open.
Alexander Zverev, in his preparations for the Wimbledon Grand Slam, is set to play tennis against his longtime rival, Taylor Fritz, in the Stuttgart showdown on Sunday. This marks a potential opportunity for Zverev to break his losing streak against Fritz and add another title to his tally, as he goals towards his first-ever Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon.
