Follow the latest news and scores from Wimbledon 2016 on Wimbledon.com or Apple TV, or download the official IOS or Android apps for smartphone and tablet
The Centre Court got a glimpse of the future on Middle Sunday, when the player hailed as the next big star of men’s tennis made his debut appearance on the hallowed turf, against Tomas Berdych in the third round.
At just 19, Alexander Zverev has rocketed up the rankings this year from 83 to his current 28. Only last month he beat Roger Federer in the second round at Halle, and is tipped by some to breach the top 10 before 2016 is out.
The crowd recognised the star quality in the young 6ft 6in German and urged him on, but for too long he had no reply to Berdych’s serve or forehand, both of which were on blistering form throughout the first two sets. So just for now, the future will have to wait. The Czech, runner-up here in 2010, came through 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, and was utterly delighted. He will face compatriot Jiri Vesely for a place in the last eight.
“Playing on Middle Sunday on the Centre Court is very special to me,” beamed Berdych, now 30, for whom this was the first victory over a seed at Wimbledon in three years.
“I’m one of the guys who loves the traditions here, and playing on this day on this court can’t get any better. I’m also very pleased with the way I handled the match. Sasha is definitely a future Grand Slam winner. He’s definitely the guy we’re going to hear a lot about, and I wish him all the best for the future. I’m happy to go through.”
Berdych, the No.10 seed, had good reason for satisfaction. In all sets but the third he was utterly dominant, and in the opening two he nullified his opponent’s challenge with the strength of his own serve and forehand. Zverev, despite the increasing support of the crowd, could find no lasting reply.
He could not add another scalp to his tally of six wins over top 20 players in 2016, and has yet to beat a seed at any Slam.
Even in the third set, when Berdych’s game abruptly fell off a cliff, the German should have been more dominant. He held two points for 5-1, but repeatedly hesitated in mid-rally and chose the wrong option, failing to kill off the point.
I’m one of the guys who loves the traditions here, and playing on this day on this court can’t get any better
He still emerged the winner of the set, but flagged rapidly as Berdych relocated his form to make it four wins from four meetings with Zverev. How long that streak can be sustained as the youngster matures will be interesting.
Unusually, all four of their jousts have taken place since last October, and each has felt like a key step in Zverev’s development. In Stockholm he lost in straight sets; by Marseille in February he pushed it to three; when the Czech Republic played Germany in the Davis Cup, Berdych needed all five; and while here that was reduced to four, Zverev nonetheless justified his seeding at No.24, equalled his best Slam performances to date by making the third round, and gained experience on the greatest stage in tennis.
It adds up to a lot of useful knowledge banked, as his rise continues – and his approach seems thoroughly level-headed.
“It’s nice to have attention and stuff like that,” he said. “There’s always going to be a lot of talk. But there have been a million so-called future No.1s that never got to No.1. There are other guys right now who want to become No.1 after Novak.”
All the same, Centre Court will be seeing more of Zverev – and quite possibly more of Berdych, a great deal sooner.
