AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2025

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/T. Paul

7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Well done, Sascha. Do you feel like you played two perfect tiebreaks to go two sets to love up?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I feel like I stole both of those sets in a way, because he was playing better than me and he was serving for both of those sets.

Yeah, in the tiebreak I played quite well. He maybe missed a little bit more than he should have. Yeah, I'm happy that I won in four sets because this was a difficult one.

Q. This will be your third semifinals here. How does this run compare to others?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I mean, last year I only played one straight set. I only had one straight-set win, so that's very different. Spent a lot more time on court than this year.

Actually, it's quite similar to 2020. I think I only lost one set on the way to the semifinals. But yeah, obviously it's different.

Back then it was my first-ever semifinal. Now obviously I have a set goal that I want to achieve my dream of winning a Grand Slam, and I'm chasing that.

But, yeah, I'm looking forward to hopefully two still very tough matches to come for me.

Q. You've got some experience playing these incredibly good players in the late rounds of tournaments. What is it like to mentally prepare yourself for the challenge of playing someone like Novak or Alcaraz or even Sinner? Is it different than the earlier rounds? I know people often say you have to treat it like any other match, but it's not any other match.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think if you are in a semifinal of a Grand Slam, you have to expect a tough match. You're not going to get to the semis of a Grand Slam by not deserving to be there and not playing great tennis.

If somebody's there, that means they have played great tennis. And yes, more often than not it happens to be Sinner and Alcaraz, a Djokovic, to get there because those are the best players in the world.

So I'm going to prepare myself for a tough battle. I'm going to prepare myself for a very intense and high-level match.

You know, I know I have the level. I've beaten them before. Hopefully I can do that again in two days' time.

Q. You've had a bit of experience already getting to these last weekends of these big tournaments. Is there something you could point to that maybe from those past trips to semifinals and finals you've learned over the years that's something that can help you now when you get back to these levels?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think the gap between my first two Grand Slam finals was maybe too big in a way. I did have a two-year break where I was not competitive for Grand Slams, right? You know, from my injury in 2022 till basically 2024 I was not really a contender for Grand Slams. The last part of 2022 I wasn't playing at all. In 2023, it was my comeback year. But realistically speaking, I was not at the level to compete for Grand Slams.

So I think being in those situations more frequently and maybe not having a gap of multiple years where I am in Grand Slam finals is very important.

So I'm going to do everything I can to be in another one on Sunday. We'll see how that goes.

Q. Today you overpassed Boris Becker as the German with most victories at this tournament. Tommy Haas as the second German most victorious at all Grand Slams. How do you feel yourself putting your name into the big stages of the German tennis? Is this something you maybe were thinking when you started your career?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think the big difference in the thing that everybody looks at is Boris Becker lifted this trophy twice. I haven't yet. So that is, I think, way more important than just match wins.

Of course, I'm happy to be on that list, and I'm happy to be in that conversation of greats in German tennis. But yeah, lifting the trophy is what is on my mind.

Q. Let calls at this tournament, is it your understanding that they are not electronic? Is this a surprise?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I mean, we had that since French Open last year that at Grand Slams for some reason we don't use let machines. I think it's, to be honest, quite ridiculous. Every single corner of everything has a camera. We have video review and all the high-end technologies that we can possibly have. But a simple let machine that we've been using for the past 25 years is not available at a Grand Slam.

To be honest, the point that Tommy Paul complained about, it was an incredibly clear let. You know, I didn't know what to do in that situation. I have to continue playing because if there's no call and I stop playing, then it's a loss of point for me.

You know, in that situation there's nothing much you can do but to continue playing. But he was absolutely right, you know. It is a clear let call.

I don't blame the umpire too much for it, because it is tough to hear, especially if you are sitting higher up. But for me it's absolutely ridiculous. It's such a surprise why we don't have a simple let machine at Grand Slams that we used to have for the past 25 years in tennis.

Q. Can I just ask, it was a strange moment, how was that frustrating moment where a feather sort of got in the way of play?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I've never had that before that we stop a point because of a feather. So that was new to me (laughing).

Not sure it was a hindrance to anybody. It's not like a hard object. Like even if the tennis ball hits the feather, it doesn't really change anything. It doesn't change the trajectory of the ball or the bounce of the ball or anything like that.

But, yeah, I don't know. Maybe the umpire did the right call and maybe not. I have no idea. But it was a bit frustrating because obviously Tommy then would get a first serve, and he won the point with that serve as well. I got a warning after that. So it was a bit much happening in that stage.