Wimbledon 2023: Alexander Zverev laments 'ridiculously dark' conditions after third-round exit
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Updated 09/07/2023 at 12:00 GMT
Alexander Zverev has lamented the conditions he and opponent Matteo Berrettini were forced to play under during their third-round encounter. The pair were called off court during the second set as inclement weather once again hit the iconic venue, with Zverev saying it was "ridiculously dark" before the break. The German eventually lost in straight sets.
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Alexander Zverev has given his thoughts on the “ridiculously dark” conditions at Wimbledon following his third-round defeat to Matteo Berrettini.
The weather at the iconic venue once again wreaked havoc on Saturday, forcing Zverev and Berrettini off court during the second set before returning to complete their match under the roof on Court No. 1.
In the end, Zverev lost in three tight sets to his Italian opponent, but was less perturbed by his performance than he was by the lack of light the pair were forced to play under before the break.
"Well, I think both of us played much better after the break, because it was ridiculously dark before the rain delay,” Zverev said.
“We both were saying that to the umpire, but their plan wasn't to play us till 8:30. I don't know how they wanted to play us more than one hour still.”
Amid persistent delays sparked by bad weather, late starts and finishes have been a feature of this year’s Championships as tournament organisers scramble to make up time.
However, despite his complaints, world No. 21 Zverev was magnanimous in defeat, praising Berrettini for his victory and backing him to challenge for the title should he maintain his current form.
“I think it was a very, very decent match. I lost in three very tight sets. I just looked at the stats. I think I lost only three points, lost three more points than him in the whole match.
“That just shows that it could have gone both ways, but today in important moments he played better.
“I told him that he can win the tournament if he plays like this, in my opinion. I mean, of course there is other players that are great.
“He's playing [Carlos] Alcaraz next. I think he's a great player as well. But if he plays like this, to be honest, he has chances against anybody.”
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