- "Ran Out of Time for Title Aspiration": Zverev Falls Short
Furious, Alexander Zverev, slammed the door towards the player's exit in Arthur Ashe Stadium and charged off, wearing a blue shirt with "NYC" printed on it. This US Open trip in New York City for the 2021 Olympic champion didn't end with the long-awaited first Grand Slam trophy, but in immense disappointment. "That was simply unforgivable from me today," he criticized his 6:7 (2:7), 6:3, 4:6, 6:7 (3:7) loss to American Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals and was completely at a loss. "I have no answers."
Following his departure from the press conference, Zverev left the TV cameras in silence and quickly vanished from the site. He just wanted to get away. One thought accompanied him on his journey back to Manhattan: The time for chasing a title at the four major tournaments is running out.
A harsh goodbye
"I'm 27 years old, I'll be 28 next year," Zverev said with a bitter tone. The next season ends with respectable Grand Slam results like reaching the final at the French Open - "but I haven't won any. That's what matters to me." In the past 25 years, only Swiss Stan Wawrinka and Croatian Goran Ivanisevic won their first Grand Slam title at an older age than Zverev is currently.
In his debut in a Grand Slam final four years ago at the US Open against Dominic Thiem, Zverev lacked experience and two points. Sometimes he was stopped by a severe injury like the ankle fracture at the French Open 2022. Sometimes it were minor injuries before big games. Sometimes the superior class of the new generation was in the way, like in the lost final in five sets against Carlos Alcaraz at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris this summer.
Opportunity missed
But a deserved loss against the world number twelve Fritz, who is now playing in a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time? Zverev was not hindered by a knee injury, as he was against the American in the Wimbledon quarterfinals a few weeks ago, but was in full possession of his powers. And this at a time when Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the winners of the past two years, had long since left the tournament. "I haven't been this angry in a long time," Zverev admitted.
He tried to explain his "terrible" game with the absence of his backhand throughout the entire match. His signature shot, on which he had focused repeatedly during training at the US Open. "I had no feeling in my racket, zero," Zverev complained. "It was incredible. I don't know if I've ever felt like this with my backhand in my career."
Above all, the Hamburg native lacked aggression in the long and spectacular rallies. Too passive, too timid, Zverev acted in the decisive moments of the match, leaving the initiative to Fritz in both clearly lost tiebreaks. The American, on the other hand, attacked his opponent's serve early and varied his own serve successfully during the match.
Becker: Like "playing with the handbrake"
"He seemed inhibited today, as if he were playing with the handbrake on. He was also physically quite at the limit," said Boris Becker as an expert on Sportdeutschland.TV about Zverev. "The door to the final was open - and that might have held him back." In a semifinal, the German number one would have been the clear favorite, just like against Fritz.
In the world rankings, he will move up to at least third place after the US Open and could also return to his all-time high as the second. For the season finale at the ATP Finals, Zverev has already qualified as the player with the most matches won this year.
Previously, he had the Laver Cup in Berlin and tournaments in Asia scheduled from September 20th to 22nd. However, all of these pale in comparison to the next big opportunity that has presented itself. He stated that he was "on the right track" and felt like he was "doing all the right things" in the early days of New York. "Hopefully, it comes soon."
Zverev expressed his disappointment after the loss, stating, "The time for chasing a title at the four major tournaments is running out." Later, during his preparations for the next Grand Slam, he mentioned, "I was playing tennis at Arthur Ashe Stadium, trying to improve my backhand and gain the needed aggression for a Grand Slam title."
