Alexander Zverev has been left frustrated after claiming that the fifth set of the French Open final could have gone “the other way” following a dispute over a line call. The German had a break-back point in the decisive set at 1-2 and thought that Carlos Alcaraz hit a double fault.
But the umpire overruled the call and claimed that Alcaraz’s second serve was in, not out. Hawk-Eye data – which has a margin for error – showed that Zverev was correct and the ball went wide.
But Alcaraz went on to hold serve and broke again, winning 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2. And Zverev admitted it was frustrating that the call went in his opponent’s favour.
“I mean, I feel like I did everything I could today. The fifth set, f***, there was some unlucky moments,” the world No. 4 said after losing his second Grand Slam final. And he rued the missed opportunity when he had break points in the fourth game of the decider.
Zverev continued: “I heard that at 2-1 the second serve was out. From the Hawk-Eye data, I saw that. I break back there, I have break chances, and then in the next service game, a fifth set can go the other way.
“But it is what it is. Look, he played fantastic. He played better than me the fourth and fifth set. It’s how it is. I felt like this Grand Slam final I did everything I could. At the US Open I kind of gave it away myself. It’s a bit different.”
From next year, Hawk-Eye will be implemented at all tournaments, even on the clay where there is room for error, meaning similar calls will no longer be up to the discretion of officials. Asked whether it was frustrating that the technology wouldn’t be implemented until 2025, Zverev replied: “I mean, look, there’s a difference whether you’re down 3-1 in the fifth set or you’re back to 2-All. That’s a deciding difference.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating in the end, but it is what it is. Umpires make mistakes. They’re also human, and that’s okay. But of course in a situation like that, you wish there wouldn’t be mistakes.”
The 27-year-old also admitted that his level dropped in the last two sets as he won just three games across both. “Yeah, I lost focus, and on my serve I didn’t get the power from my legs anymore, which is weird. Because normally I do not get tired. I don’t cramp, I don’t get tired normally,” he explained.
“But again, against Carlos it’s a different intensity, so maybe that was the case a bit. Yeah, maybe I have to look at my preparation. Maybe I have to look at how I do things on a physical base as well. Of course, look, I felt from the tennis level I was playing decent and he was playing decent for three sets. Then I dropped a lot.”
