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Alexander Zverev has expressed his opinion on what he described as a “frustrating” mistake during his French Open final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev felt referee Renaud Lichtenstein made a mistake in the final set, with Alcaraz serving on break point.
Had Lichtenstein canceled the Spaniard’s second serve, Zverev would have leveled the set at 2-2. Instead, the serve was called and Alcaraz held on before claiming victory.
“I mean, look, there’s a difference between being down 3-1 in the fifth set or being tied at two again,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “That is a decisive difference.
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French Open highlights: Alcaraz wins first Roland-Garros title after Zverev epic
“In the end it is frustrating, but it is what it is. Referees make mistakes. They are also human and that’s okay.
“But of course, in a situation like that, you wish there were no mistakes.”
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Alexander Zverev
Image credit: Getty Images
As it was, Alcaraz played the next three games without response to win his third major championship and his first at Roland-Garros.
Zverev: Alcaraz ‘is a beast, an animal’
The victory meant that Alcaraz became the youngest player to win a Grand Slam on grass, hard and clay courts.
The Wimbledon champion, who won the US Open in 2022, struggled during the tough five-set match with Zverev after falling behind 2-1 early in the contest.
Alcaraz denied the German his first major title, while keeping his 100% record in finals intact.
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Zverev calls Alcaraz ‘Hall of Famer’ as he reacts to final loss
Despite the disappointing result of the day, Zverev, in his second championship final, praised Alcaraz and hoped to reach “the same level” as his Spanish counterpart.
“We are both physically strong, but he is a beast. He is an animal, for sure,” Zverev admitted.
“The intensity with which he plays tennis is different from other people. You can do so many different things, right?
“I think he changed his tactics a lot in the fifth set, he started playing much higher, much deeper so that I didn’t create as much power. Especially with the shadows on the court, everything slowed down again.
“But he is a fantastic player and physically he is fantastic. “I have to look at myself and the team I have and see what I can do to be at the same level.”
