Zverev Admits He Made Opening US Open Match 'Complicated' For Himself

Zverev Admits He Made Opening US Open Match 'Complicated' For Himself

by Jordan Reynolds

Alexander Zverev defeated his compatriot Maximilian Marterer in the first round of the 2024 US Open, but the two-time Grand Slam runner-up did not think it was a perfect performance.

Zverev is attempting to end his wait for a maiden Grand Slam title. The Olympic gold medalist has achieved titles at every other level, but a run to glory at one of the majors is the one achievement that has eluded him.

The German came closest to winning a major title at the 2020 US Open against Dominic Thiem, who played his final Grand Slam match at Flushing Meadows. However, Thiem lost to the 21-year-old home favorite Ben Shelton.

Zverev served for the Championship in the fifth set of his final against Thiem but could not close it out, ultimately losing in a deciding set tiebreak. It was one of the most dramatic major finals ever.

His other Grand Slam final appearance at this year's French Open also ended in a five-set loss, this time to Carlos Alcaraz. Recovering from that brutal defeat in another major final would undoubtedly have been difficult for the 27-year-old.

Zverev's chances at this year's US Open were overshadowed beforehand by the news of Jannik Sinner testing positive for a banned substance. The Italian was cleared of wrongdoing, but the case and how it was handled generated heated debate.

When asked about the case, the world No. 4 supported Sinner. He described the Italian as a great guy and added that Sinner's doping saga would not damage his relationship with him.

After taking those questions about Sinner and other issues, Zverev focused on his opening-round match. He prevailed 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 against Marterer on Grandstand after an okay but far from perfect performance by his standards.

In his press conference after the match, Zverev admitted that starting slowly in his first-round contests is not atypical for him and that he complicates things by not producing his best tennis.

"Just my usual first round, I guess. Made it complicated for myself at times, but, you know, in the practice week beforehand, I was practicing and playing extremely well. Was feeling the ball extremely well."

Despite practicing well, Zverev said producing a high level on the match court is different. He was glad to come through a somewhat scrappy battle and give himself a chance to improve in the next round.

"It's different on the match court, different in the first round. But I'm, you know, glad that I won. Moving forward, I know that I have good tennis in me, and hopefully I can show that on the match court."

The German became more direct in a follow-up question about the issue by admitting he does not perform well in first-round matches. For whatever reason, he usually plays himself into tournaments.

"I mean, I don't know what the stats are, but as I said, it's the first round. I'm not usually the type of player that plays extremely well in first-round matches."

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