Big chance missed

Zverev frustrated: “It was just bottomless!”

The dream of his first Grand Slam victory is over! At the US Open, Germany's Alexander Zverev was beaten in the quarter-finals by US boy Taylor Fritz in four sets. "It was just bottomless from me today," said a frustrated Zverev.

Zverev missed another big opportunity. The 2021 Olympic champion still has to wait for his first Grand Slam title - although the path was actually clear after Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic retired. But Zverev hadn't thought about that: "It has nothing to do with that. I've already beaten both of them."

The 27-year-old German played too passively against Fritz in the decisive moments and missed out on his third semi-final appearance at the venue where he only lost to Dominic Thiem in the final in 2020. 

"I played terribly"
"I didn't do anything to earn the win. I played terribly, especially from the baseline. I can't remember hitting my backhand so badly since I've been on the tour. Just absolutely terrible from me," Zverev was harshly self-critical.

It was actually his "most reliable shot, the one I'm best known for, the one I wouldn't normally miss at 3 o'clock in the morning if you woke me up, was absolutely not there today. I have no words for it. I was hitting the balls about two meters, normal baseline shots."