Tennis fans were enthralled by the incredible Hamburg Open final between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils, and Zverev gave his thoughts after about a controversial moment during the contest.
The battle between the pair was one of the matches of the season. Fils sought to win his first ATP-500 title, while Zverev played in his first final since his heartbreaking loss at the French Open against Carlos Alcaraz.
After the pair traded sets to take the contest into a decider, Fils was serving at 30-40 down with the score at 5-5. It had been an incredibly physical match, and the Frenchman, in particular, seemed to be struggling at that point.
But the 20-year-old had a trick up his sleeve. He unexpectedly produced an underarm serve that surprised Zverev, who could not chase down the serve in time, but it landed out.
Zverev was visibly unhappy with Fils, and the two exchanged words during the changeover after the Frenchman held serve. Unsurprisingly, the German crowd sided with their local player, leading to some fans booing his opponent.
Fils' audacious move proved crucial. He stunned Zverev after over three hours on the court by prevailing 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) after a memorable battle, sending a message to the rest of the tennis world.
After the match, Zverev gave Fils a cold, no-look handshake at the net. This led to a backlash from many fans on social media, who accused the 27-year-old of poor sportsmanship and argued that Fils had done nothing wrong.
However, Zverev was more level-headed in his press conference after the final. The French Open runner-up admitted hitting an underarm serve after so long on the court and with Zverev so far behind the baseline was a good choice.
“It wasn’t disrespectful, he can do what he wants. It wasn’t a bad tactical choice, I was ten meters from my baseline, and I was tired."
Fils' press conference after the match was also interesting. Understandably, the talented Frenchman was in buoyant spirits after lifting the biggest title of his career so far, but he also gave some interesting insight into his mindset when he hit the underarm serve.
While admitting that Zverev was annoyed by his serve, the 20-year-old defended himself by explaining the rationale behind that tactical decision. After three hours on court, he said his physical condition meant doing something different was necessary.
"He was annoyed by my serve, yes. But after three hours, I had cramps and I couldn’t serve anymore. I didn’t really understand, but it doesn’t change anything about our good relationship and the fact that he’s a great champion."
Underarm serves have been a divisive topic in tennis for many years. Some see them as a legitimate tactic against returners who have decided to stand deep behind the baseline to return. In contrast, others think it is unsporting and that all players should serve overhead.
What cannot be denied is FIls did not break any rules. Hitting an underarm serve at that stage of the match was incredibly brave, but it worked. That ruthless mindset could help him become one of the best in the sport.
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