Nadal, Thiem and finally Berrettini… Alexander Zverev, 24, did not do things by halves to clinch his second Masters 1000 title in Madrid, his fourth in the toughest tournament category after the Grand Slams, after three years of waiting.
After dominating the Spaniard, thirteen times winner of Roland Garros and the Austrian, finalist in Paris in 2018 and 2019, the German conceded his first set of the week before reversing a badly embarked situation against the Italian ( 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-3 in 2h40), which remained on a title in Belgrade (ATP 250).
“I'm very happy to win this tournament again,” Zverev smiles.
I had not yet played anyone this week capable of serving at 235 km / h on clay.
It was really a very difficult game and I am all the more satisfied to have come out of it.
»Author of big forehand fouls under the questioning gaze of his mother Claudia, the sturdy Matteo Berrettini was dominated during two thirds of the first set, spoiling a somewhat lucky break succeeded at 3-3 by three unforced errors in the forehand on his next face-off.
Unbridled decisive game
In a completely unbridled and mentally tricky decisive play on both sides of the net, Berrettini broke away 5-0 before turning his big bicep into a small arm to see Zverev come back to 5-4.
Then he offered himself two set points, saved one and got two more (the last on a huge double fault by the finalist of the last US Open) before achieving his ends (10-8)!
At the start of the second round, despite a few too forced strikes, the student of Vincenzo Santopadre kept control of the debates, including three shutouts in a row on his serve.
After a small alert at 3-3 dismissed on the fly, the Transalpine, feverish on his amortizations, ended up cracking at 4-4 on his first double fault of the match.
A godsend for the winner of the tournament in 2018, relieved to set the record straight for the next game.
The title for Zverev in Madrid !!
🔥The German won in three sets against Berrettini (6-7, 6-4, 6-3) and won the fourth Masters 1000 of his career!
#MMOpen #HomeOfTennis pic.twitter.com/lvQDpKjLOt
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) May 9, 2021
In the last set, Zverev got scared.
Once.
When a new double fault at 1-2 gave his rival a break point.
But at 2-2, it was the Italian lumberjack who began to scatter his jigsaw-style punches to allow Zverev, who is more tactically intelligent and stronger in defense, to make the difference.
This time for good.
On a final setback in the corridor of Berrettini, "Sascha" was able to get his hands on the golden bird perch which serves as a trophy for the Madrid event.
The world n ° 6, who will set sail for the Masters 1000 in Rome, confirms his status as a serious outsider three weeks before the Parisian grand slam, where he reached the quarter-finals twice (2018 and 2019).
“I already hope I can go to Rome because I feel really good.
Nadal and Thiem are probably the clay court favorites you think of right now when you are planning your way to Roland Garros, blows the Hamburger.
Obviously, whatever anyone says, Rafa remains the favorite no matter what.
Probably Novak
(Editor's note: Djokovic, who is returning to Rome after skipping the trip to Spain
) is in second position, and of course Dominic is third.
That obviously means it's been a good week for me.
"
Backstage concerns
On the court, the sun is shining bright for the finalist of the last US Open. Behind the scenes, his case (accusations of domestic violence) is debated and makes some of his opponents uncomfortable. “The ATP takes a long time to react, it is really too wait-and-see and seems quite tolerant with cases like those of Zverev and Basilasvhili, tackling Andy Murray. When charges of this type are laid, clear protocols must be established. "
The accusations reported by the former world junior No. 1 were brought by a former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, who publicly accused the player on Instagram of violence. Zverev has also just been a dad ... from a distance. Another ex-girlfriend, Brenda Patea, from whom he has been separated since the end of summer 2020, has given birth to a little Mayla and will take full custody of the child.