Alexander Zverev warns about the returning Carlos Alcaraz, noting that he’ll bring a strong physical game to the table.
Wrist injury or lack of match practice aside: Alexander Zverev expects Carlos Alcaraz to be in top form at the US Open. “He might still be a little rusty in his first or second match. But once he gets past that, he’ll certainly be a title contender here,” said the German No. 1 at his press conference ahead of the tournament in New York.
Defending champion Alcaraz is making his comeback at Flushing Meadows after more than four months on the sidelines due to injury and is seeded second behind Zverev. According to Zverev, the Spaniard’s return cannot be compared to his own comeback following the severe foot injury he suffered in the 2022 French Open semifinals.
“A wrist injury is never easy. But back then, I tore several ligaments and broke two bones in my foot—I had to have surgery. It took me almost a year to come back,” said the French Open champion. “Carlos will be at the same—if not a better—physical level than before, because he’s been able to work hard on his fitness over the past few months. I, on the other hand, could barely walk back then.”
The 29-year-old Zverev, who faces Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the first round, feels better than he did during his recent disappointing Masters appearances in Montreal and Cincinnati. “I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made over the last few weeks,” he said: “I think it’s getting better day by day.” But it remains to be seen how things will go in the tournament.
“In Australia this year, I also played incredibly poorly in practice the entire week leading up to the tournament. And then I had a very bad first match,” Zverev said: “Then I got into the tournament and it got better and better. I had a good second round, a good third round, and then I was just right in the tournament. So I’ll have to see how it goes here.”
At the Australian Open back then, he lost dramatically in the semifinals—to the eventual tournament champion Alcaraz, who subsequently missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to injury.