LONDON : Fresh from ending his long wait for a Grand Slam title at the French Open, Alexander Zverev believes he has left behind the doubts that once haunted him as he targets a rare Roland Garros-Wimbledon double.
The German reached the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time on Wednesday, a year after suffering a shock first-round exit that left him questioning his future.
Zverev, who captured his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last month on his 41st attempt, is now two victories away from becoming only the seventh man in the Open era to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
To achieve the feat, he must first overcome British wildcard Arthur Fery before a potential final against either Novak Djokovic or defending champion Jannik Sinner.
“I’m almost 30 years old, I’ve been on tour for long enough. I feel like I’ve seen the most hostile crowds, I’ve seen tough crowds, I’ve seen unfair crowds as well,” second seed Zverev told reporters after ending a seven-match losing streak against Taylor Fritz to reach the last four.
“I feel like I should know how to handle it. I’ve learned how to handle it. I’m okay with it.”
If successful, Zverev would join Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the only men in the Open era to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double.
The 28-year-old said he expected strong home support for Fery but believed Wimbledon crowds generally respected both players.
“I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they’re always quite fair,” he said.
“Yes, they can be loud, they can be cheerful, but that’s okay. I don’t mind it at all.
“So yeah, I just look forward to a tough challenge in the semi-finals of a slam.”
Ranked world number three, Zverev will start as the overwhelming favourite against 114th-ranked Fery as he seeks to become the first German man since Michael Stich in 1991 to win the Wimbledon singles title.
Despite the occasion, Zverev insisted he would approach the match like any other.
“People maybe overthink it. It’s just another tennis match,” he said.
“Of course, it’s a big match. There’s a lot on the line. It’s a Wimbledon final on the line. We both know that, for sure.
“But at the end of the day, I’ve learned that a tennis match is a tennis match. Nobody will die. Their lives will not be drastically changed. We’ll continue living.
“I’ll just try to play my best tennis. There’s nothing more to it.”
