Alexander Zverev said a “big result” at Wimbledon “is definitely possible this year” after he breezed into the third round with a dominant win over Valentin Royer.
After losing his first three major finals, Zverev ended his elusive wait for a maiden Grand Slam title last month when he beat Flavio Cobolli to win the French Open.
The triumph has given the German second seed a boost coming into Wimbledon, where he has never gone beyond the fourth round.
“It builds confidence when you win in straight sets, especially at Wimbledon where I am still waiting for a big result,” said Zverev after his 6-1 6-3 7-6 (7-3) victory.
“If I continue playing like this, I think it is definitely possible this year.”
After Royer, ranked 75th, held serve in the opening game, Zverev won the next nine and did not offer up a break point until he was 4-3 up in the third and wobbled with a double fault.
Frenchman Royer grabbed that opportunity and forced a tie-break, but Zverev recovered to wrap up the victory in just over two hours and set up a third round encounter with American Marcos Giron.