Alexander Zverev’s serve stands out as one of the most formidable yet unpredictable tools in tennis. When firing on all cylinders, which is about 98% of the time, the German player feels nearly invincible. However, in the remaining moments, his serve can falter dramatically.
Last year, Zverev, seeded No. 3, faced an early exit against Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of Wimbledon, in a match that unfolded over two days. Despite achieving a remarkable 76% first serve success rate—the highest in the tournament—he still lost after winning 25 of his 28 service games. As noted by Wimbledon’s statistics bot, he was “When I saw the draw, I thought, here we go again, same thing as last year,”
Encouraged by his recent victory at the French Open—a milestone achieved on his 41st attempt—Zverev avoided a repeat of last year’s disappointment against Alexander Blockx, a promising 21-year-old from Belgium. He clinched the match with a fourth-set tiebreak win, taking it to love, and finishing with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (0). Blockx’s spirited effort eventually gave way under Zverev’s barrage of powerful serves, though it wasn’t without some tense moments for the No. 2 seed.
In the opening set, Zverev unleashed a relentless series of first serves exceeding 130 mph, hitting 21 out of 26 successfully, while winning four of five points on his second serve. Blockx kept up until the ninth game, but faltered dramatically, losing a service game to love, which allowed Zverev to close out the set comfortably.
Throughout the second set, the pattern continued, with Zverev’s first serve percentage climbing to an impressive 82%. Despite Blockx’s efforts to avoid earlier mistakes, the set progressed to a tiebreak without either player facing a break point.
As the players exchanged mini-breaks and each had a set point at 9-8, Zverev’s serve inexplicably faltered. Blockx seized the opportunity as Zverev produced his first double fault at a critical moment. The German’s struggles continued into the third set, where he sent his next five serves long, wide, or into the net.
Blockx, who recently climbed into the world’s top 40 after a strong clay season, had rarely encountered a second serve to challenge prior to this point, let alone three break points simultaneously. Nevertheless, Zverev managed to regain his composure just in time, winning five consecutive points to secure the third-set tiebreak.
After breaking early in the fourth set, Zverev appeared set for a swift path to victory. Yet again, his serving inconsistencies emerged, allowing Blockx to capitalize on three double faults in four points, resulting in an unearned break back.
The reigning French Open champion, who has never advanced past the fourth round at Wimbledon, must eliminate these lapses if he hopes to achieve more this year, beginning with a second-round match against Valentin Royer.
“The way he’s come up the rankings has been incredible to see. It’s not difficult [to follow up on the win in Paris] but I just struggle on this beautiful court. I love to play here, but at times I still struggle. I’m getting older and hopefully I’m getting better as well, and I hope to have my best result at Wimbledon so far this year.” Zverev reflected. “There are a lot of pills and a lot of sneezing and a lot of a stuffed nose,”
“Roland Garros really helps, but I do believe that I can play well on this surface, and if I can get through a couple of matches.”
