"I did nothing to deserve to win": Alexander Zverev blames himself for US Open 2024 QF loss to Taylor Fritz, admits to being 'angry', and 'frustrated'
Alexander Zverev expressed his "anger" and "frustration" following his loss to Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open on Tuesday, September 3. The German blamed himself for the outcome of the match.
Despite being the favorite, Zverev couldn't overcome Fritz, who had already beaten him earlier this year at Wimbledon. His quest for his maiden Grand Slam title ended as he fell 6-7(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(3) to the American in a closely fought match.
Fritz's win keeps his dream of becoming the first American men's singles champion at the New York Major since Andy Roddick in 2003 alive. He could face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, provided Tiafoe overcomes Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.
During the press conference following his match, Alexander Zverev lamented losing track of his strategy at various points and missing shots:
“I mean, at some point I didn't know what to do anymore. I had absolutely no idea whether I should go for it, whether I should put the ball on the court. Then I tried to put the ball on the court, it would go bottom of the net. A few shots I went for it, they flew -- the thing is, I was missing shots, I was missing by, like, six feet, regular baseline shots."
The World No. 4 took full responsibility for the defeat, admitting that his opponent deserved the win more than he did.
"I don't know," he said. "I just have no answers right now. And don't say that Taylor didn't deserve to win. No, he absolutely deserved to win today. I'm not taking anything away from him. He played quite a good match. I did nothing to deserve to win.”
When asked if it was the most "frustrated" he had felt after a match in a while, Alexander Zverev replied:
“Yeah, by far. The most angry, also, I think, in a long time.”
Alexander Zverev: "I played terrible...I have no words for it"
During the same press conference, Alexander Zverev described his performance as "terrible." He acknowledged that although his serve and returns were acceptable, his baseline play was notably poor.
"I played terrible. Just from the baseline -- I mean, serving and actually returning was actually okay. From the baseline I played absolutely terrible. I don't know," he said.
The German added:
"My forehand was okay, actually. My serve was okay. But my most reliable shot, the shot that I'm most known for, the shot that you normally wake me up at 3 a.m. and I would not miss was absolutely not there today, and I have no words for it, to be honest."
Zverev will next focus on the Laver Cup, starting September 20. He is in Team Europe, which includes Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and others, under the captaincy of Bjorn Borg.