Zverev Shocks Nadal In Madrid
Locker Room
May 7, 2021
Alexander Zverev came of age in Madrid with a surprising 6-4, 6-4 victory over Rafael Nadal in Madrid.
There were audible gasps of disappointment from the sizeable crowd in Madrid. It almost sounded like disbelief.
How dare anyone put their hero to the sword?
The King of Clay was deposed in his own back yard. That’s not something you see every day.
But it took something special to beat the great man. And of course Nadal will be back.
Before the match, Sascha had described beating Nadal on clay as the toughest task in tennis.
Yet the improving German almost made the impossible look easy as the match wore on.
Zverev was super-confident and aggressive.
He was adventurous and relaxed. In fact he was all the things he needed to be on what became the biggest day of his career.
Afterwards Zverev beamed: ”This is definitely one of the biggest wins of my career so far. Especially on clay and beating him in his house in Spain. It is incredible.
‘But the tournament isn’t over and I’m looking forward to playing Dominic Thiem. I haven’t forgotten the US Open final we played together.’
Thiem won that one and reached this Madrid semi-final final by beating John Isner in three tight sets. He will need to play even better to edge out Zverev.
Sascha observed: ‘I got my aggression up and if I do that more often then I’ll be OK.’
Zverev took the match to Spanish legend Nadal from the start. He even served and volleyed when he felt it was necessary.
The younger man mixed it up and rushed the net with considerable success.
Yet Nadal initially held firm. He even had the upper hand at 4-2 in the first.
Back came Zverev with a succession of games when it mattered. He never looked back.
It will be so exciting for Wimbledon 2021 fans to see this new version of Zverev.
And German fans will now believe it’s well worth a trip to Wimbledon.
On this stunning evidence they can start dreaming of glory.
Zverev should thrive at Wimbledon this year. He could even win it!
He has developed just the right game for some Centre Court epics at the All England Club.
Sascha has more variation and comes to the net more. He is also more mobile around the court.
And Zverev always has that booming serve. He can launch the rest of his game from that one big gun.
Watch out for Sascha between now and Wimbledon 2021!
The changing of the guard might just start here. The next generation aren’t just knocking on the door. They are actually starting to topple the legends.
Who wouldn’t want to see this perfect moment in tennis?
Young and old will do battle at Wimbledon 2021 on equal terms.
It promises to be the tournament of a lifetime. And you could be there.
Click here to secure your seats at the year’s Championships.