Alexander Zverev said that “nothing is bigger” than winning an Olympic gold medal after brushing aside Karen Khachanov to take the men’s singles title in Tokyo yesterday. The fourth seed, who ended Novak Djokovic’s Golden Grand Slam bid in the semi-finals, produced a dominant display to win 6-3, 6-1 after just 79 minutes at the Ariake Tennis Park.
“There is nothing better than this,” said Zverev, who fell to the ground in celebration after clinching the win.
The world number five becomes only the second German to win an Olympic singles gold after Steffi Graf in 1988, while Boris Becker and Michael Stich took the men’s doubles crown four years later.
Zverev is still waiting for a maiden Grand Slam title after several near misses, including when he blew a two-set lead to lose to Dominic Thiem in last year’s US Open final. “To be honest, I don’t want to talk about the next Grand Slam right now,” he said when asked if his Olympic success could help him go one better at Flushing Meadows at the end of this month. “I just won the Olympic Games and I think there’s nothing bigger than winning the Olympic Games.”
The 24-year-old said this victory trumps his 2018 ATP Finals triumph and his four Masters titles. “A gold medal at the Olympics, for me, the value is incredible because you’re not only playing for yourself, you’re playing for your whole country,” he said. Khachanov had continued his return to form in Tokyo from recent weeks after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but this match proved a step too far. “He played I think an outstanding match. He was just better today, all credit to him,” said the silver medallist.
Zverev made short work of the final, crushing six aces and 16 winners past his overwhelmed opponent.
Czechs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova added the women’s doubles gold to their 2021 French Open title. Krejcikova, who also won the Roland Garros singles earlier this year, and Siniakova beat Swiss pair Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-1. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev won the mixed doubles title, edging out fellow Russians Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 13-11.
Alexander Zverev
