Sascha Statement
Sports Illustrated India|December 2018

Alexander Zverev did not impress at Grand Slams this year but in a tournament that featured the eight best pros, he came up trumps.

S Karthik Iyer
Sascha Statement

ON THE PENULTIMATE day of the ATP Finals (November 11-18), Alexander Zverev was booed by spectators following his 7–5, 7–6 (5) victory over six-time champion Roger Federer; they had assumed he had indulged in gamesmanship at a crucial juncture in the tiebreaker. He had not. In fact, the German had only abided by the rules. When they shared an embrace at the net, Federer—still smiling—chided his younger adversary for apologising and congratulated him on a great match. “Buddy, shut up! You don’t need to apologise to me here,” the Swiss had reportedly said.

Of course, the audience hadn’t heard that. Neither were they aware of the rules. Young Sascha, though, was completely thrown off. He couldn’t respond properly to Annabel Croft during his on-court interview and was on the verge of tears, prompting Croft to admonish the crowd.

This story is from the December 2018 edition of Sports Illustrated India.

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This story is from the December 2018 edition of Sports Illustrated India.

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