Alexander Zverev briefly ran his hands through his hair, shook his head and congratulated Novak Djokovic. Shortly before the US Open, the German tennis Olympic champion missed the final at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, but showed good form for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year.
In a duel with the 36-year-old Serb, Zverev lost 6: 7 (5: 7), 5: 7 in 2:04 hours and was therefore unable to repeat his title win from 2021. At the hard court event, there is instead a dream final between Djokovic and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won his semi-final against the Pole Hubert Hurkacz 2: 6, 7: 6 (7: 4), 6: 3.
“I know him very, very well”
After winning the title from Hamburg on sand and the early exit from the Masters in Toronto, Zverev can hope for a successful performance at the US Open (August 28th to September 10th). In the twelfth duel with Djokovic, Zverev kept up well for a long time, but had to admit defeat to the extra class in the decisive phases. In the second set, Zverev took his opponent’s serve again to make it 5: 5, but quickly conceded another break and the eighth defeat.
“He’s one of the best servers, I know him very, very well,” Djokovic praised the 26-year-old. “It’s one thing to watch videos and analyze your game, but on the pitch it’s a completely different thing. It’s very hard to be patient and wait for opportunities to be there and take them. And that was the case today.”
The 23-time Grand Slam tournament winner continues to chase records: With his 1068th career win, Djokovic drew level with Rafael Nadal and Ivan Lendl and is only behind Jimmy Connors (1274) and Roger Federer (1251). In a triumph against Alcaraz, who is 16 years his junior, the Serb would extend his own record with the 39th Masters 1000 title.
A comment by Thomas Klemm Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 11 Thomas Klemm Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 7 Petra Philippsen, Hamburg Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 4
In the world rankings, Djokovic would move up to 20 points from the top-ranked Alcaraz if he won the final. In his comeback season after a serious ankle injury, Zverev will continue to move up towards the top ten in twelfth place – and can increasingly hope for a highlight at the end of the year. The Hamburger improved to eighth place in the so-called race, which would entitle him to participate in the ATP Finals in Turin in November.
2023-08-20 08:48:37
#Alexander #Zverev #defeated #Novak #Djokovic #tennis #tournament #Open
