LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - A year ago Alexander Zverev found himself swallowed up by a dark hole following a shock first round exit from Wimbledon.
What a difference 12 months has made for the German.
The tortured man who had repeatedly described his existence as being "lonely" and "needing therapy" just 12 months ago was all smiles on Wednesday as he reached the semi-finals at the All England Club for the first time.
Breaking into the Grand Slam winner's circle at the 41st attempt, when he won the French Open last month, has finally freed him from his demons and Zverev now stands just two wins away from joining a select group of players to have completed the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year.
If he is to add his name to the list of six men who have achieved the feat in the professional era — a list that boasts Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz — he will not only have to overcome 114th-ranked British wildcard Arthur Fery but also a fervent home crowd.
ZVEREV KNOWS HOW TO HANDLE A HOSTILE CROWD
"I'm almost 30 years old, I've been on tour for long enough. I feel like I've seen the most hostile crowds, I've seen tough crowds, I've seen unfair crowds as well. I feel like I should know how to handle it, I've learned how to handle it. I'm okay with it," the second seed said after ending a seven-match losing run against Taylor Fritz to reach the semi-finals.
During the heyday of Andy Murray and Tim Henman, frenzied Wimbledon crowds could often be heard cheering the mistakes of their opponents as the duo looked to end the home nation's long, long search for a men's champion at the All England Club.
With Murray having ended 77 years of British heartbreak in 2013 before lifting the trophy again three years later, Zverev was confident the crowd on Friday would be less biased.
"I always feel like the English crowd here, especially in London, they're always quite fair. Yes, they can be loud, they can be cheerful, but that's okay. I don't mind it at all," Zverev said.
"So yeah, I just look forward to a tough challenge in the semi-finals of a slam."
STICH LAST GERMAN MAN TO WIN WIMBLEDON
With Zverev ranked 111 places above the Briton, on paper the world number three will be the overwhelming favourite to write an unhappy ending to the fairytale that has gripped the home nation.
But as he attempts to go one step closer to becoming the first German man since Michael Stich in 1991 to win the pineapple-topped Challenge Cup, he wanted to keep his own expectations in check.
"People maybe overthink it. It's just another tennis match. Of course, it's a big match. There's a lot on the line. It's a Wimbledon final on the line. We both know that, for sure," he said.
"But in the end of the day, I've learned that a tennis match is a tennis match. Nobody will die. Their lives will not be drastically changed. We'll continue living.
"I'll just try to play my best tennis. There's nothing more to it."
(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar; Editing by Alison Williams)
