Alexander Zverev convinced despite final drama: "I will be Grand Slam champion at some point"
Alexander Zverev quickly found new courage after the dramatic final defeat at the US Open.
by SID
last edit: Sep 14, 2020, 07:40 am
"I'm 23 years old. I don't think that was my last chance," said the man from Hamburg at the video press conference after the 6: 2, 6: 4, 4: 6, 3: 6, 6: 7 (6 : 8) against the Austrian Dominic Thiem : "I believe that at some point I'll be a Grand Slam champion."
In New York, Zverev had the best chance of becoming the first German Grand Slam winner in men's singles since Boris Becker's triumph at the Australian Open in 1996. After winning two sets at the beginning, he was already leading with a break in the third round. In the decisive fifth set he served the match with a score of 5: 3, and in the final tie-break only two points were missing to win.
"The match turned when he broke me for the first time in the third set," said Zverev: "He then played a lot better and I started to play a lot worse. But I still had a lot of chances after that."
Zverev on Thiem: "Somewhere fair that he won"
Despite everything, Zverev turned out to be a fair loser and paid tribute to his friend Thiem. "He probably deserved this Grand Slam title more than I did," said Zverev: "That's why it's fair somewhere that he won."
After three lost Grand Slam finals, Thiem celebrated his first title, and the Austrian was accordingly happy. "At 3: 5, I already saw myself losing the fourth final," said the 27-year-old. He called winning his first Grand Slam title a "goal in life" and a "dream that I have had for so many, many years. Even as a child when I started playing tennis."
In the era of professional tennis since 1968, only four players had so far managed to win a Grand Slam final after a 2-0 set deficit - Thiem has even been the first at the US Open since then.