Tennis: Zverev misses title in Stuttgart

Alexander Zverev shook off the sand and disappointment – ​​and demonstrated his competent grass tennis in Stuttgart . He may not have won the 250-category tournament title at Weissenhof, but at least, "it was my first grass final in eight years," he told the audience. On Sunday, he lost 3-6, 6-7 (0) to Taylor Fritz, "one of the best grass court specialists," as he acknowledged.

Eleven days after his quarterfinal loss at the French Open in Paris to record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, who is ten years his senior, the 28-year-old reached a final on a surface that demands a significantly different style of play. Although only three matches were necessary in Stuttgart, Fritz also praised Zverev's ability to adapt. The American, who lost early in Paris to Daniel Altmaier after a knee injury that had hampered him for some time, was in impressive form in Stuttgart: "I am back," he wrote in felt-tip pen on the television camera as a greeting or a minor threat to his teammates. Zverev leaves Stuttgart without another trophy; the 24 trophies he has yet to add a title won on grass to his collection.

The final between the world number three and Fritz, the new number four, started evenly. Then Zverev lost serve to go 3-5 down, for which he himself was responsible for two double faults and a volley that he caught but smashed into the net. Thus, he lost the first set.

The second set had just started promisingly for Zverev when the match had to be interrupted due to rain. Due to the uncertain weather forecast, the organizers had moved the final forward by two hours, scheduling it for noon. After the rain covers were removed, both opponents fought their way to a tiebreak, in which Zverev failed to win a point.

In the ongoing duel against Taylor Fritz, Zverev has now lost the last five encounters; even in 2024, he hasn't won a single match against the US Open finalist. As Zverev mentioned, Fritz is considered a proven grass court expert: he has won four of his nine titles on the short-sward surface. Incidentally, Michael Stich was the last German winner in Stuttgart in 1991 – albeit on clay back then.

Unlike Zverev, however, Stich was also a Wimbledon champion – and that's where his journey is headed this time too: The Championships begin on June 30th. Although Zverev has never made it past the round of 16 in South London, he felt well prepared before the final against Fritz. "I got everything I wanted out of the week," he declared after his 7:6, 7:6 semi-final win against American Ben Shelton. Before traveling to Stuttgart, he spent a few days in Mallorca recovering from the exertions of Paris, and now Halle, Westphalia, is the next stop. It was there that Zverev first stood on the lush green in a final in 2017.