Controversy mars Zverev semi victory over Federer

LONDON: Alexander Zverev claimed one of most significant wins of his fledgling career as he beat Roger Federer to reach the ATP Finals title match, but became an unwitting pantomime villain in bizarre scenes at the 02 Arena yesterday.

The 21yearold German upstart produced some dazzling tennis and thoroughly deserved a swashbuckling 75, 76(5) win against the sixtime champion to set up a Sunday showdown with world No 1 Novak Djokovic.

As he has been for most of the past six months, Djokovic was in superlative form to outclass South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 62, 62 in the day’s late action.

Zverev faces a monumental task against the relentless Djokovic, who he lost to 64, 61 in the roundrobin stage, but he will surely have a fairer audience than against Federer.

Rather then being able to celebrate becoming the first German since Boris Becker in 1996 to reach the final of a tournament often dubbed ‘‘the fifth slam’’, he was shamefully booed and heckled during his postmatch speech.

It was all because when serving at 34 in the secondset tiebreak, and with Federer in charge of a rally, Zverev shouted ‘‘hang on’’ and stopped the point after being distracted by a ball dropped by a ballboy at the opposite end of the court.

Federer looked bemused but after Brazilian umpire Carlos Bernardes checked with the young lad, who verified Zverev’s complaint, the point was replayed.

The Federerloving crowd were in uproar, and to make matters worse Zverev composed himself and slammed down a 137mph ace to level the breaker at 44.

Federer then made a hash of an attempted drop volley at 45 — cue more bedlam in the crowd — and two points later Zverev sealed victory when he belted away a backhand drive volley.

Rather than bask in the glory of beating the 20time Grand Slam champion, the touslehaired youngster ended up apologising for a situation not of his making.

‘‘I want to apologise for the situation in the tiebreak,’’ Zverev said on court. ‘‘The ballboy dropped the ball and it’s in the rules that we have to replay the point.

‘‘I apologised to Roger at the net and he said ‘it’s OK, it’s in the rules.’‘‘

Federer, who will have to wait until next year for his 100th career title, was briefly rattled in his postmatch news conference when asked if the incident had affected him.

‘‘Of course it did. (The point) got replayed. I got aced,’’ the 37yearold snapped.

He did concede, however, that Zverev did nothing wrong. — Reuters