Alexander Zverev on US Open exit: ‘I have to do better next year’

Number 3 seed Alexander Zverev was knocked out of the US Open after suffering a four-set loss against Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian registered a 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 win to stun the German in the third round of the New York Major on Saturday.

Zverev admitted he didn’t play well and thus had to pay the price. The German acknowledged that he needs to do better next year as he hasn’t been performing consistently in the last two editions of the US Open.

“It’s been like this last year here. Last year I think I said it after I lost here, I just have absolutely no feeling in any shots and this year has been the same,” Zverev said. “The conditions, it’s a hard court, so it doesn’t really change that much. The balls are very different, but it’s not really an excuse. I have to do better next year. I have to find something. The last two years I would say I didn’t play good tennis here.”

This is the first time Zverev has failed to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows since 2018. He lost the quarterfinal contest in 2024 against Taylor Fritz.

The German admitted he missed the timing in his shots and he didn’t get the right feeling on the court.

“I had absolutely no feeling of the ball whatsoever here, the first two matches either. When it’s like that, even today I tried to be aggressive a few times, but I’m just missing,” Zverev said. “So you’re trying to find ways to win the match differently, but it’s really difficult to do that when somebody’s playing well like [Felix], aggressive like him, and you’re just not feeling great.

“There is not really a shot that I felt great off from any side: forehand, backhand. My backhand was completely off this week. It is the way it is.”

Zverev would want to bounce back stronger in the upcoming tournaments.