Alexander Zverev acknowledged that there were probably certain things that factored into Carlos Alcaraz winning the US Open but underlined that the Spaniard deserved his success. Alcaraz, 19, became a Grand Slam champion after beating Casper Ruud in this year’s US Open final.
“It’s not really surprising. I played against him for the first time in Acapulco in 2021. I already said: ‘He’s going to be crazy, he’s going to be an incredible player.’ To be honest he is too. There were a lot of factors at play, Novak wasn’t at the US Open, Rafa maybe wasn’t at 100 percent, Daniil after his back injury and surgery wasn’t quite where he was either last year with his tennis.
So he took his chance. Hats off! He was the best player in New York. He proved that cold,” Zverev told Eurosport.
Zverev on Alcaraz becoming a Grand Slam champion
After winning the Masters events in Miami and Madrid, Alcaraz made it clear his goal was to become a Grand Slam champion at the French Open.
In Paris, Alcaraz made the quarterfinal before losing to Zverev in four sets. Alcaraz didn’t become a Grand Slam champion at the French Open but he did win his first Major four months later at the US Open. After winning the US Open, Alcaraz also became the youngest No 1 in tennis history.
“Carlos Alcaraz, a teenager, wins the US Open. It’s beautiful for tennis. You can see that the new generation can play very good tennis and that tennis is in good hands. But it was a strange year because Alcaraz finished the year as World No.
1 with 6,500 points. Last year I had over 8,000 points and was number three in the world. It’s been a weird year in that way,” Zverev said. It remains to be seen if 25-year-old Zverev can win his first Grand Slam in 2023.
