5:06
一个德国人，打了四次决赛才赢
A German Man Who Won Only After Four Finals — Zverev's Roland Garros 2026
HSK 2 Chinese listening practice. The story of Alexander Zverev's first Grand Slam: four finals across three Slams, a four-hour battle against Italy's Cobolli, and the 'set five' victory that ended an eight-year drought.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 5 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 14 key vocabulary words such as 决赛、网球、比赛 and walks through 7 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
今天我们说一件事。
Today we'll talk about a matter.
是一个德国人的事。
It's about a German person.
这个德国人，叫兹维列夫。
This German person is called Zverev.
他二十九岁。
He is twenty-nine years old.
不大也不小。
Not too big, not too small.
你认识他吗？
Do you know him?
没关系。
It's okay if you don't.
我们慢慢说。
We'll go slowly.
兹维列夫做的事，是打网球。
What Zverev does is play tennis.
什么是网球呢？
What is tennis?
网球就是一种球。
Tennis is a kind of ball game.
两个人一起打。
Two people play together.
一个人在这边。
One person on this side.
一个人在那边。
One person on that side.
他们把球打来打去。
They hit the ball back and forth.
看谁打得好。
We see who plays well.
谁打得好，谁就赢。
Whoever plays well wins.
这就是网球。
This is tennis.
兹维列夫打网球，打了很多很多年。
Zverev has played tennis for many, many years.
打得很好。
He plays very well.
他每年都打很多次。
He plays many times every year.
打的时候，也叫"比赛"。
When you play, it's also called a 'match'.
比赛就是两个人打。
A match is two people playing.
看谁赢。
We see who wins.
但是比赛不一样。
But matches are different.
有的比赛小。
Some matches are small.
有的比赛大。
Some matches are big.
最大的那种比赛，看的人最多。
The biggest kind of match has the most watchers.
喜欢的人也最多。
Also the most fans.
打最大的比赛，要打很多天。
To play the biggest match, you have to play for many days.
打到最后，只有两个人。
By the end, only two people are left.
最后这两个人，再打一次。
These last two people play one more time.
最后这一次，叫"决赛"。
This last time is called the 'final'.
决赛就是最后一次。
The final is the last time.
谁赢了决赛，谁就是最好的。
Whoever wins the final is the best.
兹维列夫打到过决赛。
Zverev has reached the final.
打到过几次呢？
How many times has he reached it?
打到过四次。
Four times.
四次！
Four times!
但是，前三次他都没有赢。
But the first three times, he didn't win any of them.
我们慢慢说。
We'll go slowly.
第一次决赛，是在几年以前。
The first final was several years ago.
那一次，他没有赢。
That time, he didn't win.
他觉得不高兴。
He felt unhappy.
但是他想："没关系。
But he thought: 'It's okay.
下一次再来。
I'll come back next time.'
后来，第二次决赛。
Later, the second final.
他又没有赢。
He didn't win again.
他更不高兴了。
He was even more unhappy.
但是他还是想："下一次。
But he still thought: 'Next time.'
后来，第三次决赛。
Later, the third final.
他差一点赢。
He almost won.
打得很好。
He played very well.
但是最后，他还是没有赢。
But in the end, he still didn't win.
这一次，他最不高兴。
This time, he was the most unhappy.
喜欢他的人，也都不高兴。
The people who like him were also unhappy.
他自己心里想：
He himself was thinking inside:
"我什么时候才能赢呢？
'When will I be able to win?'
"我打了这么多年。
'I've played for so many years.
还是赢不了一次决赛。
Still can't win a single final.'
他这么想了很多年。
He thought this for many years.
有的人觉得：他可能再也赢不了。
Some people felt: maybe he can never win again.
有的人还在等他。
Some people were still waiting for him.
今年，他又一次打到了决赛。
This year, he reached the final once more.
这是第四次。
This was the fourth time.
今年的决赛，是在一个叫法国的国家。
This year's final was in a country called France.
法国就是一个国家。
France is a country.
这个地方，兹维列夫以前来过。
Zverev had been to this place before.
以前他在这里，没有赢。
Before, here, he didn't win.
所以他知道，这里也可能输。
So he knew, here he could also lose.
今年的决赛，很长。
This year's final was long.
打了四个小时。
It went on for four hours.
四个小时，很长。
Four hours is long.
决赛里面，他打了五次小比赛。
Inside the final, he played five small matches.
我们叫它"局"。
We call them 'sets'.
五局。
Five sets.
第一局，兹维列夫赢了。
Set one, Zverev won.
他打得很好。
He played very well.
他心里想：
He thought inside:
"今年好像可以赢。
'It seems I can win this year.'
但是，第二局，他没有赢。
But in set two, he didn't win.
他有一点不高兴。
He was a little unhappy.
第三局，他又赢了。
Set three, he won again.
他高兴一点。
He was a bit happier.
他想："还要再赢一局，就赢了！
He thought: 'One more set and I've won!'
第四局，差一点。
Set four, almost.
他差一点赢。
He almost won.
他还差了一点点就赢。
He was just a tiny bit away from winning.
但是最后没有赢。
But in the end he didn't win.
他差了一点点。
He was off by just a little bit.
他对面那个人，也打得很好。
The person across from him also played very well.
那个人叫科博利。
That person is called Cobolli.
科博利不是德国人。
Cobolli is not German.
科博利是另一个国家的人。
Cobolli is from another country.
科博利二十四岁。
Cobolli is twenty-four years old.
他比兹维列夫小。
He is younger than Zverev.
今天是他第一次打这么大的决赛。
Today is his first time playing such a big final.
科博利也想赢。
Cobolli also wanted to win.
他不想兹维列夫赢。
He didn't want Zverev to win.
他也想赢一次大的决赛。
He also wanted to win a big final.
最后一局，第五局。
The last set, set five.
这一局最重要。
This set is the most important.
谁赢这一局，谁就赢了决赛。
Whoever wins this set wins the final.
兹维列夫打得最好。
Zverev played the best.
科博利打得不那么好了。
Cobolli played not as well anymore.
最后，兹维列夫赢了！
In the end, Zverev won!
他赢了决赛。
He won the final.
他第一次赢这么大的比赛。
It was his first time winning such a big match.
他等了很多年。
He waited for many years.
今天才赢。
Only today did he win.
他高兴。
He was happy.
喜欢他的人都很高兴。
The people who like him were all very happy.
最后他说了一句话。
At the end he said a sentence.
他说：
He said:
"以前我在这里最不高兴。
'Before, here, I was the most unhappy.
现在我在这里，最高兴。
Now, here, I am the happiest.'
最后，我想问你一下。
Finally, I want to ask you.
你有没有一件事，做了很多次，还没有做好？
Is there something you have done many times and still haven't done well?
你看，他打了四次决赛才赢。
Look, he played four finals before he won.
那你呢？
What about you?
你也可以再试一次。
You can try again too.
HSK 2 mental verb. 他觉得不高兴 = he felt unhappy. Anchors the emotional through-line.
HSK 2 contrast connector. Used many times to mark turns: 但是他没有赢.
HSK 2 result connector. 他知道这里也可能输。所以他要小心 = he knew he could lose here too, so he had to be careful.
HSK 2 verb. Emotional anchor: 他等了很多年 = he waited many years.
Glossed inline: 决赛就是最后一次 = the final is the last time. Central concept of the story.
Glossed inline: 两个人一起打，把球打来打去 = two people play, hitting the ball back and forth.
HSK 3 noun. 比赛就是两个人打。看谁赢 = a match is two people playing, see who wins.
HSK 3 time marker. 以前他在这里，没有赢 = before, here, he didn't win.
HSK 3 time connector. 后来，第二次决赛 = later, the second final.
Marks 'almost happened, didn't'. Repeated in set 4 description.
Glossed inline: 决赛里面他打了五次小比赛，我们叫它'局' = in the final he played five small matches, we call them 'sets'.
他打了四次决赛才赢 = he only won after playing four finals.
HSK 3 adjective. 这一局最重要 = this set is the most important.
Implied throughout: 他没有放弃 = he didn't give up. The arc of the story.
* beyond level超纲词
Subject + 觉得 + Clause
'X feels / thinks that Y'. Introduces subjective state.
他觉得不高兴。
有的人觉得：他可能再也赢不了。
以前 / 后来 / 现在 (time chain)
Marks time progression: before → later → now. Used to structure the story.
以前他在这里，没有赢。
后来，第二次决赛。
现在我在这里，最高兴。
但是 + Clause / 所以 + Clause
Contrast (但是) and result (所以) connectors.
但是他没有赢。
所以他知道，这里也可能输。
Subject + 差一点 + Verb
'X almost did Y'. Common spoken pattern for near-misses.
第四局，差一点。
他差一点赢。
Comparison: A 比 B + Adj
'A is more Adj than B'. HSK 2 comparison structure.
他比兹维列夫小。
...才 + Verb (only then)
Marks delayed action.
他打了四次决赛才赢。
今天才赢。
什么是 X 呢? + complete answer
Rhetorical question + complete answer pattern. Used to gloss each hard word.
什么是网球呢？网球就是一种球。
什么是大满贯呢？