Alexander Zverev waved half-heartedly to the crowd with a bitter expression and quickly disappeared into the catacombs of Court Suzanne Lenglen. The Tokyo Olympic champion's dream of a second gold medal was shattered in the quarter-finals in Paris.
One day after Angelique Kerber's dramatic exit, it is clear: The German tennis team remains without a medal for the first time since 2012.
Fighting emotions
Zverev lost 5:7, 5:7 to Italian Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday on the second largest court of the facility. The Hamburg native, who had entered the match with some anger in his stomach, did not have his best day. But he also rarely found a way to counter Musetti's sheer unbridled joy of playing – as well as his own emotions.
“I haven't felt well physically all week. I'm going home and will do a few tests. I hope that I'll be fit again for the American tour,” said Zverev. “It's annoying when you know that the Olympic Games take place every four years and you're not 100 percent fit.”
He had already been feeling unwell during his Olympic preparations and had suffered from a lack of energy. “I noticed at the tournament in Hamburg that something was wrong with me, I got tired very quickly,” said the 27-year-old. “Normally I am one of the physically strongest players on the tour, but I wasn't here.”
Blood test in Monte Carlo
He had already had big problems in the second round against the Czech Tomas Machac in Paris, and these problems resurfaced against Musetti towards the end of the first round. “At a certain point my head starts to spin and I see four balls coming towards me,” said Zverev.
After blood tests at home in Monte Carlo, he will decide how to proceed. The hard court season in North America starts next week with the Masters in Montreal, and the highlight will be the US Open starting on August 26.
Only around 18 hours after the end of his round of 16 duel with the Australian Alexei Popyrin, Zverev, who carried the German hopes after Angelique Kerber's elimination the day before, had to compete again. And he was somewhat annoyed about it.
The sports venues at Olympia
“I'm so pissed off, I can't even tell you. The scheduling is a disgrace,” Zverev told Bild . At least his sponsor had delivered the light-colored shirts Zverev wanted by Thursday, so he was able to compete in a white shirt and black trousers. In the all-black outfit, he suffered greatly on Tuesday in the heat duel against the Czech Tomas Machac and cursed his outfit.
Zverev can't find his way into the match
Half in white and still somewhat grumpy, Zverev again did not get into the game well. As he did the night before against Popyrin, he lost his serve early in the first set, struggled, including with the referee, and only found his rhythm late.
But just like against the Australian, Zverev managed to break back to 5:5. Only this time, the German number one messed up his serve again. And thanks to Musetti's magic, the first set was over after 62 minutes – it was Zverev's first set loss in the fourth match.
Musetti succeeds in almost everything
Musetti played fascinatingly at times, throwing in some great stops and fabulous backhand shots. Zverev played like Zverev: straightforward, with a lot of pressure, but less variable. That's enough against most opponents, on his best days against (almost) all of them – but this time it was just not enough. Even though he seemed to be at his best physically.
Zverev's mood improved in the second round, and during a break in play, he fanned himself to a spectator. “Hang in there, boy!” a spectator yelled at Zverev. He gave him a thumbs up – but after 2:04 hours, the 2024 Olympics were finally over for him.