Top seed Alexander Zverev was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the ATP tennis tournament in Munich. The world number five lost on Friday against the Chilean Cristian Garín 4:6, 4:6 and experienced the bmw Open, as in previous years, a disappointment. In cold, wet and drizzly conditions, the Olympic champion could not find a cure against the South American, who played variably and fought bravely, a day before his 27th birthday. He also repeatedly complained loudly about the slippery ash surface.
At the BMW Open, Zverev has heated discussions with the referee
“It's impossible for me to win in weather like this,” Zverev said. He explained that his real strengths, like the serve or the backhand, were disabled by the rain and cold. “I tried everything and tried many things. But under these conditions I have no weapons to win here.” He respected Garín and admitted: “He deserved to win.”
Zverev had already lost to Garin in the quarterfinals in Munich in 2019, who went on to win the tournament. In the last two years, the best German professional tennis player had failed even in his first matches in the round of 16. This time he wanted to take revenge and celebrate his third success in the Bavarian capital after 2017 and 2018, but he failed.
Zverev complains in Munich: “Here I slide back and forth”
The wind caused rain to fall on the Aumeisterweg facilities and the Hamburg native had a difficult time against the world number 106: Zverev could be heard complaining again and again. The Chilean defeated Zverev's Davis Cup colleague, Dominik Koepfer, in the first round. Against the number one seed, Garin consistently found success with unnerving saves on the wet surface.
In the second round, Zverev had heated arguments with the referee and the ATP supervisor because, much to the German's chagrin, they did not interrupt the match despite the rain. “It has been raining non-stop for three and a half hours. I slide back and forth here. “When are you finally going to do something,” he told the referee during a break. After exactly 2:00 hours his defeat was clear.
Garín will face Taylor Fritz in the semifinals. The number three American qualified for the quarterfinals by 4:6, 6:3, 7:6 (7:1) against the British Jack Draper won.