Tennis After Wimbledon curfew: Zverev wants to prevent retirement
No more tennis can be played at Wimbledon after 11.00 pm. Alexander Zverev will therefore continue with his first round match on Tuesday. One of his opponents also has to play detention.
01.07.2025, 08:56
dpa
Alexander Zverev quickly signed a few autographs, posed for a selfie and then disappeared from Center Court. After his first round match was abandoned due to the curfew at the grass court classic in Wimbledon, the world number three tennis player must avoid an early exit on Tuesday. With a score of 6:7 (3:7), 7:6 (10:8), he will continue against the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.
In contrast to Zverev, the outsider was still sitting on his chair eating a banana for several minutes shortly before 11 p.m. local time. He only slipped off the court when the stands were almost completely empty.
Even though the score was 1:1 in sets, Zverev was able to go to bed with the better feeling. The 28-year-old fended off three set points from his opponent in the second round and celebrated winning the tie-break with a loud cry.
Second match on the center court
The two will play on Centre Court again on Tuesday after the match between Czech defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and Alexandra Eala from the Philippines, which is scheduled for 2.30 p.m. CEST (1.30 p.m. local time).
Only Wimbledon has a Grand Slam night's rest
Zverev only started his duel with Rinderknech at 8.53 p.m. local time on Monday. Unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon does not play into the early hours of the morning. The 11 p.m. local time curfew was introduced in 2009 when a retractable roof was installed over Centre Court to allow play under floodlights. In an earlier statement, the organizers justified the end of the tennis day in the late evening with noise protection for local residents. In addition, visitors should be able to return home safely using public transportation.
Like Zverev, Taylor Fritz also has to play detention. The world number five fought his way back from 2-0 down against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, with the fifth round scheduled for Tuesday. Fritz would be a possible quarter-final opponent for Zverev, the American has won their last five duels.
The chance for Zverev to make it past the round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time and to attack his longed-for first Grand Slam title is greater than it has been for a long time. Halfway through the German number one's draw, a number of well-known potential opponents have already bowed out early.
Zverev's opponent Medvedev already out
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev lost to Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in four sets. Zverev has lost 12 of his last 14 duels with fearful opponent Medvedev. Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini from Italy, who has been struggling with injuries recently, also failed.
