Alexander Zverev has punched his maiden ticket to the Wimbledon final after defeating Arthur Fery in the semifinal on Friday. However, the German might not get a chance to celebrate his final appearance at SW19 with his grandmother, as he opened up about the possibility of her not attending the final due to visa complications.
Zverev battled Fery for three sets and secured a 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-4 victory. The reigning Roland Garros champion regained control for the rest of the match after sending the first set to a tiebreaker.
After the match, Zverev spoke at the press conference and was asked if his grandmother would be present at Centre Court for the final. Zverev explained that a trip to London would be difficult because she currently has a Russian passport and does not have the necessary visa.
“She doesn’t have a visa. She unfortunately has a Russian passport still, so…,” he said.
He then said that he did not speak to her but hopes that the German chancellor, whom he expects to attend the All-England Club final, could help his grandmother get a long-stay visa:
“Well, my phone is off, so I don’t tend to speak to anyone, to be honest. It was great when she was there. I hope, or I know that our chancellor is coming to the final. Maybe he can help with a passport or a longer visa for her, and then she can stay a bit longer, but she had to go back after 90 days.”
Zverev’s grandmother was present during his Roland Garros final run, as she was already staying in Europe for several months. However, she has now reached her 90-day visa limit, which has made her presence at Wimbledon uncertain.
Since Zverev’s grandmother holds a Russian passport and since London is not part of the Schengen zone, she would need to submit a new application for a UK visa.
Alexander Zverev Believes Arthur Fery Has a Bright Future After Wimbledon Run
Alexander Zverev managed to overcome Arthur Fery in the semifinal. After the match, the German praised Fery’s gameplay and believed that the young Brit still has a lot of room to improve and amplify his game to new heights.
“He’s at a good level,” Zverev said. “I think he’s still at the start of his career, for sure. I think his game is very, very good. I think he has a lot of things in his game that he can still improve, which is a positive thing, because he just made the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time. He probably still feels the same way: he has a lot of things that he can still do a bit better.”
Zverev is all set for his first-ever Wimbledon final and will face the reigning Wimbledon champion, Jannik Sinner, on Sunday.
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