Currently ranked second in the world, Zverev has experienced his finest season on the Tour, making it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon final, to go with his achievements at the French Open and US Open.
Although setbacks suffered by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz—who dominated the Grand Slams over the previous two years—worked to his advantage, his own mental fortitude and rigorous physical conditioning played a major role in his success.
“Nobody possesses the level of fitness that Zverev does, he is at the absolute peak,” remarked ex-Wimbledon winner Marion Bartoli during an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“While Alcaraz and Sinner, as well as Novak [Djokovic] and Rafa [Nadal] during their physical peaks, are certainly in the conversation, Zverev easily ranks among the greatest physical specimens to ever compete in tennis.”
The German was pushed to a deciding fifth set in both of his opening rounds, with the contests dragging on until the early morning hours in New York.
Nearly knocked out in his opening match when he stood just two points away from elimination, he fought back, hit his stride, and cruised through his matches without losing a single set from round three all the way to the championship match.
Despite confronting a hostile, biased audience during his clash with Shelton, Zverev remained unflappable. He maintained strict control over his feelings and, despite dropping the third set, remained firmly in command of the encounter.
“I have immense respect for his mental resilience and the incredibly calm, focused demeanor he maintained from the very first point,” noted Annabel Croft, the former British number one.
“What stood out as truly remarkable—something I don’t recall ever seeing before—was his complete lack of awareness that he had actually secured the victory.”
“It was highly unusual, almost as if he was performing in a complete trance throughout the entire match.”
