Alexander Zverev secured a first-round victory over fellow German Maximilian Marterer at the 2024 US Open, but the two-time Grand Slam runner-up admitted it wasn’t his best performance.
Zverev is still chasing his first Grand Slam title, having won at every other level, including Olympic gold. His closest brush with a major victory came at the 2020 US Open, where he served for the championship against Dominic Thiem but ultimately lost in a dramatic fifth-set tiebreak. Zverev also reached the final at this year’s French Open, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in another five-set battle. Recovering from these tough losses has been challenging for the 27-year-old.
Heading into this year’s US Open, Zverev’s chances were somewhat overshadowed by the news of Jannik Sinner testing positive for a banned substance. Although Sinner was later cleared, the incident sparked significant debate. Zverev, when asked about the situation, expressed support for Sinner, calling him a great guy and stating that the doping saga wouldn’t affect their relationship.
Shifting focus to his own match, Zverev overcame Marterer 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 on Grandstand, though he acknowledged that it wasn’t a flawless performance. In his post-match press conference, Zverev admitted that slow starts in first-round matches are typical for him, noting that he often complicates things by not playing his best tennis early on. “Just my usual first round, I guess. Made it complicated for myself at times,” he said, despite feeling confident in his game during practice leading up to the tournament.
Zverev emphasized that performing well in practice doesn’t always translate to the match court but was relieved to advance despite a scrappy performance. “It’s different on the match court, different in the first round. But I’m 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.”
When asked directly about his tendency to struggle in first-round matches, Zverev acknowledged that he typically plays himself into form as tournaments progress. “I’m not usually the type of player that plays extremely well in first-round matches,” he admitted.
