Alexander Zverev had nothing but praise for Arthur Fery in the immediate aftermath of today’s semi-final.
It seemed, despite dashing hopes of the Brit progressing his fairytale run, the German had read the room well.
A bruising straight-sets defeat could have deflated Centre Court and perhaps even turned volatile, but his on-court interview was measured and supremely complimentary.
Zverev made a big prediction about Fery’s future before previewing Sunday’s Wimbledon final.
However, the compliments did not stop there.
Alexander Zverev has more praise for Arthur Fery after their match
Asked about Arthur Fery and his current level, Alexander Zverev was keen to add to his previous praise.
He added: “He’s at a good level. I think he’s still at the start of his career, for sure. I think his game is very, very good. I think he has a lot of things in his game that he can still improve, which is a positive thing, because he just made semi-finals of Wimbledon for the first time.
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“He probably still feels the same way: he has a lot of things that he can still do a bit better.
“That’s a massive compliment, I feel like, because if you’re complete and that’s your ceiling, then you know that’s your ceiling. If you know that you’re just starting and you’re making semifinals of slams, that’s positive.”
Standing at 5’9, Fery was the fourth-shortest player in the entire 128-man draw.
One reporter pondered how much of a detractor that could be in his future, but Zverev insisted otherwise: “I think you just style your game a bit different.
“Me, I have to work a lot harder than maybe shorter players with my physicality. I think for taller guys, tennis is a bit more of a difficult sport because physically it’s more demanding, because, you know, he probably weighs, what, 70, 72, 73 kilos. I’m walking around at 96 kilos. That’s 20-plus kilos. Just those things I have to work harder.
“He probably has to work harder at finding power, finding an easier way to win points. That, for sure.”
Alexander Zverev’s daunting head-to-head record vs Jannik Sinner
If Zverev is to do the unthinkable and win Wimbledon, thus completing the Channel Slam, he will have to go massively against his torrid head-to-head record against Jannik Sinner.
The Italian, who pulverised Novak Djokovic earlier today with a comfortable straight-sets win, secured his spot in the final with the 28-year-old.
The world number one will naturally be the overwhelming favourite, for multiple reasons.
What does Alexander Zverev have to do to change his results against Jannik Sinner?
Chief among them is that head-to-head record, with Zverev last recording a win over Sinner in 2023.
Since then, the 24-year-old has won the last nine matches: three finals and five semi-finals.
