By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, October 31, 2024
Photo: Matthew Calvis
Alexander Zverev played the wrecking man today in Paris.
Zverev hit 16 aces to avoid the talented Frenchman Arthur Son 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his 31st ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
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The 6’6″ Zverev is second on the ATP in aces behind only Hubert Hurkacz and is third on Tour in service games held in 2024 behind world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
The 20-year-old Fils cites three reasons why Zverev’s serve is so devastating: height, heaviness and the havoc it creates even when a racket hits the ball.
Fils said Zverev’s height creates a different trajectory that is difficult to follow and the weight of his serve makes it difficult to control returns.
“He’s very tall, so he comes from very high,” Fils said of Zverev. “It comes very hard. So you try to anticipate a little bit, figure out what you’re doing, but obviously indoors it’s different than being on clay.
“If you’re not in the lane of the ball, you can’t return it. If you’re in it, it’s hard to control. So that’s what makes it one of the best servers. That’s how I see it. .”
