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."