Alexander Zverev congratulates Jannik Sinner on reaching the final. © APA / DYLAN BUELL

After defeat against Sinner: Zverev is “proud”

The US Open can come. Despite a bitter semi-final defeat at the ATP tournament in Cincinnati, Alexander Zverev is ready for the last Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season.

August 19, 2024

From: dpa/dl

Although the 27-year-old had to admit defeat to world number one Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in a high-class match after more than three hours with 6:7 (9:11), 7:5, 6:7 (4:7), Zverev was nevertheless able to gain a lot of self-confidence for the classic in Flushing Meadows after a few bumpy weeks.

The US Open in New York begins next Monday. For Zverev, it will be the next attempt to fulfill his dream of a Grand Slam title. In 2020, the Hamburg native came very close in the vibrant metropolis, but lost in a memorable final to his Austrian friend Dominic Thiem after leading 2-0 sets.

Last year, Zverev was eliminated in the quarterfinals in New York. After beating Sinner in an epic round of 16 match in five sets, Zverev was completely exhausted and had no chance in the quarterfinals against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

Perfect preparation for the US Open

This time, after the next thrilling exchange of blows against Sinner, Zverev will have a few days to recharge his batteries. In total, he spent many hours on the tennis court in Cincinnati - the perfect preparation for the US Open, which this year seems more like a kind of surprise package than ever before.

Alexander Zverev is having a strong year. © APA / DYLAN BUELL

Industry leader Sinner has experienced ups and downs after his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in Melbourne at the beginning of the year, and there is a big question mark over record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. The 37-year-old Serb fulfilled his last big dream by winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris - and has not played a match since. Instead, extensive celebrations were scheduled in his Serbian homeland.

Is everything possible for Zverev?

And the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is also still looking for rhythm and motivation after the bitter defeat in the final at the Olympics. In Cincinnati, Alcaraz was already eliminated in the second round.

So once again, everything seems possible for Zverev, even if the German number one has not come through the past few weeks without problems. At the Olympics in Paris, Zverev seemed strangely weak, and at the ATP tournament in Montreal he once again complained of breathing problems.

“I am proud of how I fought through it” Alexander Zverev

In Cincinnati, however, Zverev was in better physical shape, struggling more with the adverse weather conditions than with his own body. "I'm proud of how I fought through," said Zverev.

Zverev also showed a strong fighting performance against Sinner. In the first set he served to win the set before Sinner won the set in the tiebreak. In the deciding set, Sinner had a little bit of luck on his side.

Sinner’s balance sheet

"There were some ups and downs that can happen, especially when you play for more than three hours," Sinner said after the match. "It was a good match, I think, for both of us. He served very, very well, so I can be very proud."