(VIDEO) "I need it now...": Alexander Zverev fumes at umpire as racquets go AWOL before Australian Open Final
ATP
Alexander Zverev seems to be heading towards winning the second set in the 2025 Australian Open Final but wasn't best pleased in some racquet drama as they went AWOL before his match with Jannik Sinner.
This meant Zverev had to think on the fly as he entered into discussion with the chair umpire Damien Dumusois about the whereabouts of some of his racquets which seemingly had gone missing while being in the process of being strung.
He told Dumusois two numbers of string tension as he said: "I need it now, I need it now." It didn't really help his cause either as he lost the next game to lose the opening set to Sinner.
But on a stage where he is looking for his maiden Grand Slam title, not the most ideal start for the World No.2.
"Conversation during the break between Zverev and the umpire, Damien Dumusois. He’s a little bit upset that the racquets he sent to the stringers, he said an hour before the match, he’s still waiting for," explained Nick Mullins on commentary as per Eurosport.
"So, he’s some racquets down. And you’ll have heard him say 15.9 and 16.9, those are the tensions and he’ll want those racquets as soon as possible… Clearly unhappy with the racquets he has in his bag."
"Well, it’s interesting to hear the 15.9 and 16.9, if that’s the string tension in kilos, as in pounds, that’s 33 pounds," added Henman on commentary who was somewhat puzzled by his choices.
"I mean, that’s incredibly loose, so I’m slightly confused by that. However, he may be sending some racquets back to be restrung because it’s a little bit cooler, therefore the ball isn’t flying, so you want the strings a bit looser to generate more power.
"Not sure he needs more power right now, he needs a bit more control on that forehand."
"I need it now, I need it now..."
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 26, 2025
Alexander Zverev wasn't happy with his racket string just before dropping the first set to Jannik Sinner 👀#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Unyn6FlZS0
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