Alexander Zverev was one point away from securing the world No. 1 ranking when his Vienna match was interrupted by an unusual LED screen malfunction. The German faced Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the quarter-finals, with a win also guaranteeing he would reach the top of the rankings for the first time in his career on Monday.
As Zverev prepared to serve for the match, one of his overheads knocked out a square of the LED boards at the back of the court. Griekspoor and a ball boy attempted to revive the screen by hitting it, but their efforts were unsuccessful. The Dutchman could only laugh as chair umpire Manuel Messina radioed other officials, informing them that a portion of the back boards had been knocked out and was displaying colourful lines.
Umpire's Unusual Fix
"Well, he's waited 14-plus years to become world No. 1, so another 20 seconds won't make a difference," Nick Lester joked as Zverev was left waiting to serve for the match and the top ranking. Griekspoor leaned against the back of the court and continued to slap the screen, to no avail. The umpire then came down but realised there was no quick fix. "Not sure Manuel is looking too confident that he can fix this," Lester added.
The umpire tried to punch the LED screen, and the world No. 50 gave it a good kick. Still, nothing happened. On the other side of the net, Zverev looked relaxed, laughing at the unique situation. Another official came over and rubbed the screen but shook his head, and the delay continued.
Towels and Applause
Griekspoor then asked a ball boy for his towel and gave the screen two more kicks before suggesting they simply cover it. Messina came back, and the Dutch ace laughed as he threw the towel at the umpire, who draped it over the back of the court to cover the affected square. "I think Zverev is probably happy just to serve… Oh, they are going for the towel!" co-commentator Lucie Ahl laughed.
"What's that going to do?" Lester asked. "The job, by the looks of it!" Ahl replied. There was applause throughout the stands as the makeshift solution meant that play could finally get underway again after a few minutes. It looked almost comical to see the red towel hung over the blue court surround as cameras zoomed back out with Zverev preparing to serve.
Victory and No. 1 Sealed
After all that, the 29-year-old sent down a booming ace to reach the last eight and seal the No. 1 position. After winning his first two Grand Slam titles this year, Zverev will become the 30th world No. 1 in ATP history, and the second German after Boris Becker. He went over to embrace his team, including his father and coach.
Zverev was then honoured with an on-court ceremony to celebrate his new world No. 1 position. Afterwards, he said: "Very special. To kind of have the feeling to be on the top of the world is amazing. It's different than winning a tournament, winning a title, but it's such a special feeling to know that the No. 1 is going to be next to your name when the new rankings come out. I'm super happy and super thrilled."
"I mean, I was super focused, super motivated for multiple reasons, but of course, No. 1 was definitely a big subject and I think I played a very good match and I'm very happy about that."
