German tennis star and current world No. 12 Alexander Zverev was forced to go through three pairs of shoes during his mammoth five-set win at the US Open. The 26-year-old defeated his Italian opponent Jannik Sinner in their round of 16 clash, which was the longest match of this year’s tournament so far.
The match saw Zverev return to the tournament after missing out in 2022 following a serious ankle injury at last year’s French Open. The German is clearly back to his best and is looking to go one better after reaching the 2020 US Open final where he suffered a defeat to Austrian Dominic Thiem.
While Zverev is living up to expectations, the same can’t be said for his shoes. Throughout the match Zverev struggled with his footwear which gradually worn away after each set as the heat in New York took its toll.
The Hamburg-born player was forced to change shoes three times during the tie, which eventually ended 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Speaking after the game Zverev referred to the issues with his footwear and admitted that the temperature inside the 20,000 seater Arthur Ashe Stadium also had an effect.
“The humidity is what killed us both,” Zverev said. “I’m usually a guy that doesn’t sweat. I had to change everything twice. I had to change shoes three or four times.”
Zverev’s shoes weren’t the only cause for concern during the match which continued into the early hours of the morning. During the latter stages a fan was escorted out of the stadium after the German heard an offensive chant.
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Zverev could be seen turning to the umpire during the tie and revealed what he heard after the game. “He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day,” he said. “It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much.
“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don’t mind it. I love when fans are loud. I love when fans are emotional. But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it’s not really a great thing to do, and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don’t react, I think it’s bad from my side.”
Despite the drama the former US Open finalist was overjoyed with his performance. “This is one of the best moments of my career after my comeback and after everything,” he added. “I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Zverev’s next match will see him face top seed Carlos Alcaraz tomorrow night in the quarterfinals at the same Arthur Ashe Stadium, but perhaps with sturdier footwear.
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