US OPEN

August 28, 2026

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Just wondered, did anything change when you come here this year? After 2020, did you come here and have any regrets, I should have won one, and now that you have won one, is that gone?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I still feel like I should have won in 2020. That doesn't change (smiling).

No, I think just coming here especially, no. But in general, of course there's some level of satisfaction for me that I finally won one. I think I've said it a million times.

But also, you realize one thing: Once you win one, you want to win more. You want to keep going and you want to play your best tennis every time you're on a tennis court.

I feel like I have done it after the French Open, and then I haven't done it the last two tournaments.

But I definitely feel like my game has been coming back, and it's been better and better every practice session that I've had. I hope I can show my best tennis here again.

Q. Does it feel any different to be No. 1 seed?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Not really. I think seedings are nice, and seedings is a great show that you've been playing well, but I think what's most important thing is whose name is at the end of the draw and who is still here in two weeks' time. I think that's the main goal for everybody who is in the draw.

Q. Can you speak a little bit about the benefits or the possible downsides of growing up in a family with an older sibling who is an accomplished athlete, as well, and family dynamics and economics and all these things?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, the downside is my brother is an asshole, just generally. He's standing right there, he doesn't even listen to what I'm saying, so that's good. (Laughter.)

No, I think there is not much downside to it. You know, in a way, luckily me and my brother were ten years apart, so there was never really a rivalry between us. He always wanted the best for me; I always wanted the best for him.

Even when I was accompanying him to tournaments at a young age, he was practicing with me, which was incredibly nice of him. I got to see the tour at a very early age even when I wasn't playing on it, which I think is a huge help and a huge step because maybe I wasn't as nervous coming onto the tour, maybe I wasn't as nervous playing pro-level players early on because I've seen them and known them for years.

You know, growing up in a tennis family, it really depends on the personalities that are in the tennis family. I still believe that I have quite smart, you know, family members. I feel like my father is quite smart in what he does. He understands that you have to separate us as a coach and from being a father at times. You know, when we are at the tournament, he's just my coach, which I think is quite helpful.

I think my brother generally is quite a smart guy. You can see that in the different things that he does beyond tennis, once his tennis career kind of finished, in a way.

So, yeah, it really depends. I know there's crazy tennis parents out there, as well. Then it's not helpful because if you try and control every single aspect of your kid's life, even when the kid is 25, 26, 27 years old, and at some point has a personal life, at some point has things outside of the tennis court, and you try to control every single aspect of it, I think that is never helpful.

But if you have smart tennis parents like we do have on tour now, I think of like Ben Shelton's father is incredibly smart, Casper Ruud's father is incredibly smart. I feel like I'm lucky enough to say the same thing about my parents. I think then it's beneficial and helpful.

Q. Many players are retiring this year, so...

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I'm not retiring.

Q. I'd like to ask about Kei Nishikori, your opinion about his tennis or impression of him.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: He's an incredible tennis player. He proved that every single time when he was coming back from injuries. Every time he was coming back from injuries, he ended up in the top 10, was very close to the top 10 again. I think his career would have been one of the best, maybe on a similar level to maybe a Murray or Stan Wawrinka if he didn't have so many injuries, because he was injured a lot, especially in his prime. Once he got up to No. 4 in the world, No. 5 in the world, every single time he got injured.

So I'd say in that aspect he was a little bit unlucky, but from a tennis point of view, he was amazing.

Q. Do you feel like the favorite this year? Who would you consider to be the favorites this year since Sinner is out and is coming back?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I feel like I'm one of the 128 players that are favorites in the draw.

Q. Having had your own experience coming back after a long layoff due to injury, what is your perspective on the challenge for Carlos right now?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I know what you mean, but it's very different, because I think it's a different injury. I think wrist is never easy, for sure. I know that because my brother was also injured with a wrist and it takes time to come back from a wrist injury.

I think mine was different, because I broke seven ligaments and fractured two bones and had surgery. It took me a year to come back, so it was a bit different. I feel like he's probably at the same, if not better, physical level right now, because he probably, in the last four, five months, was doing a lot of physical work, which I couldn't have done because I was not able to walk.

So I expect him to be maybe a bit rusty the first or second match, but once he gets through that, I think he's going to be a contender for sure here.

Q. Welcome back. You went into detail about your family, which I wanted to hit on. How did they help you in your lowest points, the injury and other lower points in your career, and how tough was it to praise your older brother in public?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: It wasn't tough because I know he's not listening, so that's good. Good, so he did listen (smiling).

No, I think, 2022 there were a lot of uncertainties, and I'm sure, I am 100% sure they had uncertainties, as well whether I was ever going to be at this level. Nobody could know for sure. But they never showed it to me. They never spoke to me about that.

It was always more conversations, When you come back, we can improve this and this, and you're going to be the best, or you can be at this level again, or you can win these kind of tournaments. That was more the conversations.

It was just, like, similar to what I did to myself in the French Open, there was kind of like this fake confidence and this kind of lying to yourself, that everything is going to be fine, and you're going to be the best kind of thing.

And they did that a lot to me when I was at my lowest point. I think that was very helpful to me a couple years ago.