Alexander Zverev says he remains confident in his chances of becoming a grand slam champion despite the heartbreaking five-set defeat he suffered against Dominic Thiem in the US Open final on Sunday.
The 23-year-old German was in tears during his runner-up speech on court after he blew a two-sets-to-love lead in the championship match, as well as a 5-3 advantage in the decider.
“I was super close to being a grand slam champion. I was a few games away, maybe a few points away. For me what upset me the most is not the third set or something like that, it’s the fifth set. I had a lot of chances in the fifth set and didn’t use them,” said Zverev, who was contesting his first career major final.
“I’m 23 years old. I don’t think it’s my last chance. I do believe that I will be a grand slam champion at some point.”
Alexander Zverev
Zverev had a perfect start to the match, serving huge and dictating play. But his serve speed decreased dramatically towards the end of the final, and he revealed there were physical issues behind his slow serving in the tiebreak.
Zverev cried as he paid tribute to his parents, who couldn’t travel with him to New York because they tested positive for coronavirus prior to their departure.
“They’re fine. They’re actually negative already. That’s the reason they didn’t come here,” said Zverev, whose father Alexander Sr. has been his coach all his life.
“Losing 7-6 in the fifth after being two sets to love and a break up is not easy. At the speech, I got emotional. I couldn’t put two words together. I don’t actually remember what I said. Yeah, it was a difficult moment for me,” he added.
