Alexander Zverev said that “nothing is bigger” than winning an Olympic gold medal after brushing aside Karen Khachanov to take the men’s singles title in Tokyo on Sunday.

The fourth seed, who ended Novak Djokovic’s Golden Grand Slam bid in the semi-finals, produced a dominant display to win 6-3, 6-1 after just 79 minutes at the Ariake Tennis Park.

“There is nothing better than this,” said Zverev, who fell to the ground in celebration after clinching the win.

The world number five becomes only the second German to win an Olympic singles gold after Steffi Graf in 1988, while Boris Becker and Michael Stich took the men’s doubles crown four years later.

Zverev is still waiting for a maiden Grand Slam title after several near misses, including when he blew a two-set lead to lose to Dominic Thiem in last year’s US Open final.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta

 

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