US OPEN

August 31, 2023

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

A. ZVEREV/D. Altmaier

7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Four sets, three hours, 43 minutes on court. Assess your performance this afternoon.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Difficult to say. I think extremely tough conditions, so it was not easy to play. Especially I think the first two sets it was extremely windy.

Yeah, there are definitely some things I need to work on but I'm happy to be through, because I think winning when you're playing well is easy. Winning when you're not playing well is more difficult. I think the great champions always do that.

With that, I'm pleased today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. With how well Daniel was playing and almost hitting like Stan sometimes on his strokes on the backhand, you were able to get through and hit your forehand in that fourth set with depth. Can you just talk about getting through how well he's played. And the Court 17 conditions, was it the weed court again?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think it will stay the weed court for the tournament.

But I think he has an ability and that's a big talent. He has an ability to make very good players play badly. I think he's done that with Jannik Sinner in Paris and with Rublev in Hamburg. He's done that with me here.

That's a talent, as well. So he finds a way for the very good players to not play good anymore. He did that well today, to be honest.

But in the end I'm happy that I kind of picked up my level in a way in the third and fourth set, and then got it done.

Q. You have Grigor next. You dominated him in Cincinnati. You know how tough he can be in any match any day. Your assessment on that one.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I mean, if he beats Murray in straight sets, I think he's playing well, right? That speaks for itself in a way. We'll see how it goes. I think every tournament is different. Yes, we played last week in Cincinnati, but I'm expecting something very different here.

Hopefully much better match in a way.

Q. That first set, three breaks each, and then you were able to step up in that tiebreak. Then you have so many other opportunities to break. What changed in the fourth when you were able to break him twice and kind of cruise from there?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think my level picked up from the middle of the third to the end of the match. After that I think I was dominating in a way.

Yeah, as I said, it was extremely tough to play out there. It was very, very windy. It was very difficult conditions, very different from the last few days, to be honest.

I think just getting used to that, I think he's somebody that fights extremely well. He's somebody that makes effort every point he plays.

I was a little bit fighting myself, in a way, in the beginning, but then turned around in the third and fourth set.

Q. Are you surprised, given all that he brings to the table, that Grigor has not won a slam yet?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Am I surprised?

Q. Yeah, just given his level.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think that's a difficult question, because there's a lot of players that haven't won a slam yet (smiling).

Tsitsipas hasn't won a slam. I haven't won a slam.

Q. Grigor has been around a little longer.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, but I think result-wise we have been playing better the last few years.

It also kind of comes down to Novak, Rafa, and Roger a little bit, you know. A lot of players like Berdych, Ferrer, Nalbandian. Who else? Soderling. Yeah, they all haven't won a slam. It's not that easy to win these things. Especially when you have three guys that really dominated for 20 years.

I'm more surprised he's never made a final. That's surprising. Not that he maybe hasn't won one. Absolutely no disrespect at all, but I think there are a lot of players that haven't won one.

Q. I know it's a little offbeat, in that fourth set I think after you got the break for 2-1, I think there was a bug on the court, and I think you escorted it out and I think he hopped back in. Is it nice to have even those kind of lighthearted moments?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I was very gentle with it, and then the ball boy or ball girl, I can't remember, wasn't. That was a little bit funny. Yeah. It's just a moment in the match, I guess.

Q. Probably mostly in the media nowadays stories about Novak and Alcaraz, does this give you an extra boost that the attention is not so much on you? Maybe you say, Oh, these guys forgot about me but I'm playing great?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think I answered this question last press conference that I had. I think it's very natural for the media to look for a story, and the story right now is Alcaraz and Novak.

You know, last year it was, like, Rafa against everybody. Then 2021 it was kind of a triangle with Novak, Daniil, and myself.

It's natural for the media to find rivalries, I think. But I think, as I said last time, Novak said it very well, there are other players that can play in the draw, there are other players that both of those guys have lost to.

I think it's disrespectful in a way to talk about the final when your next opponent is still there, you know. I think both of those guys are not thinking about the final yet. I think both of those guys know that they have their own opponents until there, and we are all here, we're trying to win.

Q. But it helps you a little bit perhaps?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: To be honest right now, I'm in my comeback year. I'm 12 in the world. I'm not 3 in the world. I think next year's a more reasonable time to talk about that and maybe the rankings will change, as well.