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Alexander Zverev
Photo:
Frank Franklin II / dpa
In the final of the US Open almost four hours had been played.
The decision between Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev had to be made in the tie-break - which condensed the whole drama of this match into a few minutes:
Thiem can hardly walk because of the danger of cramps.
Zverev struggles with his error rate, but never gives up.
At 4: 6 and Thiem serve, the German fends off the first match point.
This is followed by a second serve by Zverev at only 109 kilometers per hour, a throw-in that can only be seen at most at Henner-Henkel games - and yet it is enough to compensate.
At the next point, Zverev gets two brilliant volley chances, match ball would have been the result, but he lets them slip away.
Instead, Thiem has a third chance, a cross-forehand from Zverev ends up out of bounds, and the Austrian falls to the ground with joy and exhaustion.
"I had enough chances," said Zverev after the match, which he lost 6: 2, 6: 4, 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 7.
He was the determining player for two sets, then his friend Thiem completed an exciting race to catch up.
"He probably deserved this Grand Slam title more than I did," said Zverev.
It was definitely not the best final in US Open annals.
But it was gripping, thrilling and extremely entertaining due to the many ups and downs.
And Alexander Zverev had a large part in this - despite all the justified cheers for Thiem.
The 23-year-old has to wait for his first Grand Slam title.
This final, these entire two weeks in New York with a total of seven matches, have shown that Zverev has gone through a maturation process that will bring him major tennis titles.
The new maturity of Alexander Zverev
With his participation in the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January - at that time he also lost against Thiem in four sets - Zverev had already indicated that he would now be able to be successful in Grand Slam tournaments for two weeks.
In the years before that, Zverev had always ended in the quarter-finals at the latest in the majors, and often he had not even made it past the third round.
That had earned him the reputation in Germany of not being good enough to succeed Boris Becker or Michael Stich.
Many saw in him an unapproachable star who was sometimes described as arrogant.
The native of Hamburg received significantly more international recognition, also with regard to his age.
Zverev was in the main draw of Wimbledon for the first time at the age of 18.
Becker had already triumphed twice in London, but that is no longer conceivable in modern tennis.
Now, in New York, under difficult conditions in a bubble that theoretically only allowed tennis, Zverev showed a new side.
He appeared very focused in his seven games, and didn't allow himself to be disturbed by residues or his own inadequacies.
He pursued his goal with remarkable mental strength.
In tennis, serve, volley or pass are only superficially decisive, the head is decisive.
In the run-up to the US Open, one could easily have assumed a battered Zverev.
After the good start to the year, there was a lot of turbulence.
Participation in the controversial Adria Tour, his party visit to the Côte d'Azur, the subsequent hiding in front of the public, the cancellation of the tournament in Berlin, the change of coach to David Ferrer, the first round defeat at the Masters of Cincinnati in preparation to the US Open.
But Zverev managed to concentrate fully on himself and his game despite, or perhaps because of the many negative headlines.
He worked a lot on his service beforehand, which didn't erase the major weak point - the second serve - but made it much more part of his playing style.
Double errors are just as much a part of Zverev as the throw-in in the tie-break or aces with extreme risk.
He knows that, he can deal with it - as well as with all other imponderables.
Tennis is ready for a new chapter
This is also what distinguishes the big three in tennis, who have divided almost all Grand Slam titles among themselves in recent years.
Now it was due to special circumstances that Roger Federer (injured), Rafael Nadal (voluntarily canceled) and Novak Djokovic (disqualified) were not in the final at this US Open.
And yet the duel between Zverev and Thiem showed that a new era will begin in tennis.
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A case for two friends: Dominic Thiem (left) and Alexander Zverev
Photo:
Frank Franklin II / AP
There had been a gap behind the three veterans for years.
There was no shortage of talented players.
But there was a lack of great victories - and the imagination to imagine tennis without Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
It's over now.
The three will probably play for a few more years and win more titles.
But this final, this four-hour thriller, and the continuation of the respectful treatment of the opponent, as Federer and Nadal have been doing for years, has shown that tennis is ready for new chapters.
"I'm 23 years old," said Zverev.
"I don't think this was my last chance. I believe that I'll be a Grand Slam champion one day."
Contradiction is pointless.
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