It was proper schooling, a lesson in grass court tennis for the young and ambitious Alexander Zverev. Federer played like a gazelle, a poem whose rhyme schemes were just out of the world and which left the audience wanting(read begging) for more.
The Stuttgart loss had rendered the Federer critics to come out in numbers, voicing their opinion about how Federer wouldn’t be able to replicate his Australian Open heroics, but his performance this week has shut every one down.
Federer romped to 6-1, 6-3 win over Zverev, thereby winning the Halle Open for a record 9th time.
The first set was like a breeze, a pleasant one for Federer, but one that rocked Zverev’s world. After that initial drubbing, Zverev just couldn’t manage to find his feet in the match, struggling to keep pace with Federer’s all court play. Federer was using his exquisite drop shots to perfection today, breaking Zverev’s ground stroke play and forcing him to come to the net more often that he would have wanted to.
Zverev had beaten Federer in the semi finals last year but he just couldn’t replicate his last year’s heroics, as Federer looked like a man on a mission.
Federer would be vying for a 9th Wimbledon Title next week.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
https://twitter.com/bet365_aus/status/878944482930167808
https://twitter.com/Tennis18MAD/status/878949350998724608
https://twitter.com/DropVolleys/status/878959578779496448