01 September 2023 , 20:53
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German tennis star Alexander Zverev has blasted claims that Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are all but guaranteed to feature in this year's US Open final. The 26-year-old has called reports "disrespectful" that claim the final has already been predetermined.
Zverev, who is ranked 12th in the men's seeding, made the comments following his second round win over fellow countryman Daniel Altmaier. The 6-foot-6 star won the tie on Court 17 after taking the first set to a 7-6 (7-1) tiebreak. Zverev then lost the second set 3-6 before winning the third and fourth, 6-4 and 6-3, back-to-back to progress to the third round.
Following the win the German took umbrage with the wide-spread suggestion the US Open final is guaranteed to be between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
"I find it logical that the media look for stories related to them, rivalries are very appreciated," he said in the post-match press conference. "However, I think it is disrespectful to others to assume that they are predestined to play in the final."
Despite claiming that the final is far from guaranteed, Zverev is realistic on his own ambitions. “For the moment, I am 12th in the world and I don’t think I have all the cards in hand to be their main opponent,” he added.
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Although Djokovic has been touted as the favourite to reach the final, the Serbian has agreed with Zverev's comments. The 23-time Grand Slam winner raised his concerns ahead of the tournament, which he has won three times, and was quick to quash reports that he was nailed on to succeed.
"I think it's also in a way disrespectful to your next opponent if you're already thinking about your finals matchup," Djokovic said.
Alexander Zverev has reached the third round of the US Open (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images))"Even though I've had tremendous success, maybe you could argue that I could already start thinking about later phases and stages in the tournament, but that kind of mindset never really resonated with me."
It's no surprise to see both Djokovic and Alcaraz reported as favourites to reach the latter stages of the tournament. Both players are ranked at world no. 2 and no.1 respectively and embarked in a historical final at Wimbledon earlier in the year.
The 20-year-old Spaniard beat his 36-year-old opponent 1–6, 7–6 (8-6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 to lift his first Wimbledon championship. Alcaraz has impressed in the US Open so far after reaching the third round without dropping a set.
Zverev's next match sees him take on Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the third round at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Djokovic is facing fellow Serbian, Laslo Djere in his third round tie next.