Alexander Zverev Says Seeing Roger Federer Sitting All Alone at Royal Box During His Wimbledon Match Was ‘Phenomenal Sight’

When the celebrities started leaving the Royal Box after the penultimate match on Centre Court on Monday (July 6), one man remained there unmoved. And that man holds the record for the most Wimbledon titles. Obviously, it was Roger Federer.

That sight of the 20-time Grand Slam champion sitting all alone on Wimbledon’s famous court became the picture of the day. He waited there to watch Alexander Zverev‘s fourth-round match against Jiri Lehecka.

The match officials suspended the match due to Wimbledon’s 11 pm curfew, and when it resumed the next day, Sascha beat him with scores of 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6). Then, at the press conference later, Zverev, who held a 4-3 head-to-head record over the Swiss maestro, was asked whether he saw Federer watching his match while sitting alone at the Royal Box.

Yeah, I saw him. He was at some point sitting alone completely in the Royal Box. I think it was a phenomenal sight. But I saw him before the match, as well. He congratulated me for Roland Garros, as well. It was very nice of him to stay.

In this year’s French Open, Zverev overcame Flavio Cobolli in five sets to win his career’s first Grand Slam title after three failed attempts in the final. He will be playing in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

Alexander Zverev will play Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals

Alexander Zverev has a tough match ahead of him, for in the quarterfinals, he will be facing a player who has defeated him in their last seven meetings. It’s Taylor Fritz, the winner of five grass-court titles from seven finals.

Against Fritz, Zverev won half of their 10 clashes, last winning in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Italian Open. They last met in the semifinal of this year’s Halle Open.

I think the last times we played, honestly, it’s been quite straightforward. If we exclude the match in Halle because I had issues there (I openly admitted it, I was having a lot of trouble with my sugar), in the other matches he was simply better than me. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. He was in better form. He played better than me. That’s all.

Fritz has so far played three finals, losing all. Ben Shelton beat him at the Dallas Open and the Stuttgart Open, while Frances Tiafoe denied him the Halle Open title. Sascha, who suffered an opening-round exit in last year’s Wimbledon, has never won a title on grass but has played three finals, including last year’s Stuttgart Open, which he lost to the 2024 US Open finalist.

In the matches we played, it was very straightforward: he was better than me. Again, now I feel different. I feel I’m playing better, I feel I’m in better form. I believe I can win tomorrow.

Alexander Zverev added

Zverev, prior to his French Open triumph, also made the final of the Madrid Open but couldn’t go past Jannik Sinner. It’s Sinner who is competing as the defending champion at SW19, and has scheduled a blockbuster semifinal against seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic.

The winner of the Zverev versus Fritz match will play Flavio Cobolli or Britain’s last hope, Arthur Fery, in the semifinals, while in the final, one of them will play Djokovic or Sinner.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, at last year’s Wimbledon, defeated Alcaraz in the final but lost to the 24-time Major champion in the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open. Djokovic trails 5-6 in the head-to-head matchups versus the World No.1. Sinner is chasing his sixth title of the season in the grass-court Major.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Spotted with Bandage on His Shoulder During Wimbledon Quarterfinals