STUTTGART, June 17, 2017

Mischa Zverev is the last German standing at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart. On Saturday, the tournament’s number six from Germany is appearing in his sixth ATP World Tour semi-final, his first on home soil.

A lot of fans might have expected to see Roger Federer, Tommy Haas or Grigor Dimitrov at this late stage of the ATP 250 grass court event, but Zverev’s vintage style of playing tennis perfectly suits the conditions at the Tennis Club Weissenhof.

“I feel like my net game is better than my baseline game. Depending against whom I play I have to see what tactic I choose. I am ranked 31, playing serve and volley on hard courts beating some top guys, so I think it is an ok tactic for me,” Zverev told after ending Tommy Haas’ run in Stuttgart’s quartefinals.

“However, it really depends on my opponent, the day, the conditions and on my serve. Sometimes I have to stay back more. Serve and volley is my game. The low bounce suits my slice serve and my volley. I hope that I can continue playing well on grass this season and we will see where it takes me.”

Next up for Zverev will be Feliciano López of Spain, who looks for his third win in as many meetings against the German. The 35-year-old Toledo native also feels comfortable on the green, looking to clinch his third ATP title on grass.

German Open Hamburg Without Zverev Bros.

The surface also provokes discussion concerning the German Open, which will be held in Hamburg on clay from 22 to 30 July. Tournament director Michael Stich criticised the absence of the Zverev brothers from this year’s edition and explained that he personally was disappointed of Mischa’s choice not to compete in Hamburg.

“If I didn’t have to defend that many points this automn, I would have played in Hamburg. That’s what I told Michael,” Zverev explained on Friday afternoon in Stuttgart. “I would have also competed in a Hamburg tournament held on hard court but switching from grass to clay, back to hard courts is very difficult,” the 29-year-old added.