Alexander Zverev has expressed frustration with the US Open organizers for scheduling his semi-final match first, pointing out that he will receive one less day of recovery compared to the players in the subsequent match.
The tournament’s number one seed comfortably progressed to the semi-finals on Wednesday, defeating Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-5, 6-1.
With this win, the French Open titleholder secured his 23rd Grand Slam triumph of the year, overtaking the national milestone of 22 previously set by Boris Becker.
On Friday, he is scheduled to play against Karen Khachanov of Russia, entering the contest as the frontrunner once more. Zverev previously defeated Khachanov to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Their encounter has been slotted as the daytime semi-final, allowing American competitors Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton to take center stage during prime time.
Meanwhile, both American players completed their quarter-final matches a day before Zverev did, even though Shelton’s victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz did not conclude until 3:30 a.m. local time.
“This schedule is definitely not advantageous for me,” the 29-year-old German athlete commented during a press briefing.
“It seems rather odd to me that competitors who enjoyed a two-day break are scheduled to play after we do. Throughout my twelve years playing professionally, I’ve never encountered this setup. Nevertheless, it’s out of my hands. With two home-country players in the semi-finals, it makes sense that organizers prefer them in the night slot.”
The German faced his only real challenge during the second set of his match against Van de Zandschulp, where he successfully warded off a set point before reclaiming dominance.
At 29 years of age, Zverev required a mere two hours and 17 minutes to seal his victory, marking his third appearance in the US Open semi-finals following his deep runs in 2020 and 2021.
“My performance has improved with every round, and I am thrilled to reach the semi-finals here,” Zverev expressed. “However, my goal is to progress even further.”
Initial Struggles
For the first time in his career, he has advanced to at least the semi-final stage of all four major tournaments in a single year, though he acknowledged that the five-set structure aided his recovery from early-round difficulties in New York.
“That was quite evident during the opening rounds when my performance was subpar. At the Grand Slams, I can count on my physical endurance much more than in standard events,” Zverev noted.
“In shorter events, I likely would have been eliminated early on, but here I have the opportunity to claw my way back, endure five sets, battle for over four hours, and eventually find a way to win and settle into the event.”
Adapting to the late-night schedule at Flushing Meadows, he joked about feeling jet-lagged, quipping that the hours made him feel as though he were competing in Melbourne rather than New York.
“I stayed up watching the Shelton and Alcaraz match until 3:30 in the morning,” Zverev shared. “I didn’t sleep because I knew I would be resting until 1:00 p.m. anyway.”
“Hats off to Ben for an incredible performance, and I expect a highly entertaining semi-final clash between the two Americans on Friday.”
