Things can go out of hand fairly quickly when a lot is at stake. Especially during a final, emotions fly everywhere, which is exactly what happened in Hamburg between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fils. The duo played in the summit clash of the German Open in which the Frenchman upset the local favorite Zverev in a thrilling three-setter 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. In the closing stages of the match, hostile sparks flew as Fils engaged in a war of words with Zverev during a changeover.

The drama unfolded in the 11th game of the final set (5-5), as Fils hit an underarm serve on break point that was initially called in. Upon further review, the chair umpire called it a fault. While it is completely legal to play an underarm serve, many feel it’s disrespectful. That’s precisely what Zverev’s reaction pointed to. As soon as Fils brought out the underarm serve at break point, the World No. 4 didn’t appreciate it. And neither did the crowd. 

The boos ensued, and Arthur Fils only channeled them into his game. A second serve and a wide return later, the score was 40-40. A few moments later, when the Frenchman had game point, Zverev stopped play after he felt one of Fils’ shots was long. However, the call went in Fils’ favor this time, and the tension that arose could be cut with a knife. Had Zverev won the game, he would’ve been serving for the championship. But that didn’t happen, and it looked like he felt Fils’ underarm serve had a role to play. So, he made his feelings clear during the changeover.

While it isn’t clear what exactly Zverev said to Fils, the 20-year-old wasn’t just standing and listening. He was giving it back, and by his body language, it was presumably because he wasn’t too happy with Zverev either accusing him of disrespect or pausing play multiple times in the 11th game. Or maybe it was both. Either way, the chair umpire had to intervene and ask the Frenchman to head back to his chair. Following the change of ends, though, Sascha held serve to take the match into a deciding tiebreak. But Fils looked like he was on a mission, winning the tiebreak, 7-1.

Reaction Info: What do you think about Arthur Fils using an underarm serve against Alexander Zverev?

In what should’ve been a moment of pure elation for Fils, who won his first ATP 500 title, he was met with a cold handshake from Zverev. But the death stare he gave the German was even colder. In his on-court interview, Fils revealed he had no regrets about using an underarm serve and why he opted for it. “I did everything for winning this match. I got cramps; when I was serving, I was cramping. I was trying underarm serves because I cannot serve. The crowd took it badly, but I don’t care; I’m winning, and that’s it.”

That’s precisely what he did, having the last laugh as he won the final set tiebreaker to clinch the title – his biggest one to date. The 20-year-old is on a massive upward trajectory this season, and the victory over Zverev is one of his biggest career wins. Despite the controversial moment, Fils called Sascha a “great champion,” further saying he knew the encounter would not be easy. And during the trophy presentation, Zverev seemed to have calmed down, too, even spraying champagne on the newly-crowned Hamburg champion. 

That said, Zverev failed to defend the title on his home soil against a player ranked much lower than him. Owing to such inconsistent performances, considering he made the French Open final less than a couple of months ago, many fans have questioned if Zverev can ever become a Grand Slam champion. However, the German firmly believes that he can.

Is a Grand Slam title incoming for Alexander Zverev? Well, he feels so

After battling serious injuries, the German star is back to his best. Although he lost to Fils, Zverev is not one to be demotivated before a big tournament. He has shown that he still has confidence after he returned to the top 10 following the 2023 US Open. Although fans have dismissed his chances due to his recent final losses, the 27-year-old is confident in his abilities to attain a slam.

During an interview after his 2020 US Open final defeat to Dominic Thiem, Zverev said, “I’m 23 years old, I don’t think it’s my last chance. I do believe that I will be a Grand Slam champion at some point. I think in a way it fueled gas into the fire a little bit because I was two points away from winning it, I practiced on Arthur Ashe a couple times. There are still memories there. I still remember it, and I still have that in the back of my mind.”

Since the 2022 French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal, where the German suffered that brutal ankle injury, Zverev has slowly made it back to the top. And his French Open final appearance this season was a testament to his belief in himself. While he may have had a disappointing run in Wimbledon, losing to Taylor Fritz in the Round of 16, there’s no doubt he’ll look to put his best foot forward at the US Open, hoping to make another Grand Slam final this year. Do you think he can?