WATCH: Alexander Zverev wins an epic 53 shot rally against Novak Djokovic
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Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic are two of the toughest players out on tour currently and produce some physically intense tennis whenever they meet. Such was the case in their semifinal clash at the 2021 US Open. Both the players pushed each other to their absolute limits and engaged in long rallies.
Zverev was strong on serve from the word go and pushed Djokovic deep in the court to open up for the winners. He tested Djokovic’s patience and went for the kill on merit. His patience paid off as he got a decisive late break and consolidated it to win the opening set 6-4.
However, Djokovic, like he always does, bounced back and proved his mettle in the second set. He countered Zverev’s serve with deep returns and was hitting winners at will. Unlike the first set, Zverev too wasn’t able to push Djokovic deep as eventually, the top seed won the set 6-2 to level up the scores.
Djokovic was struggling on serve in the third set but somehow managed to cling on. Zverev was making life difficult for him but couldn’t get a break of serve. Serving to stay in the set at 4-5, Zverev couldn’t cope up with the pressure and handed set points to Djokovic. But at 30-40, the players played one of the longest rallies of the tournament, lasting 53 shots. It is to be noted that the rally consisted only of the baseline powerful strokes and no slices. Zverev at the end, went for the forehand kill and the players were visibly exhausted at the end.
Such was the intensity of the rally, that the umpire gave them an extra 25 seconds in between the points. But despite winning the rally and saving 2 set points, Zverev couldn’t save the third one and lost the set 4-6.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)