In the men’s singles semifinals in New York, K. Khachanov lost to German tennis star Alexander Zverev (ATP-2) after a tough three-set battle with a score of 3:6, 6:7(7), 6:7(6).
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At the press conference, the 30-year-old who lost the match directed criticism at the world number two, whose preparation for serves simply tests patience.
“His ball bouncing annoys many players, not just me. You just don’t know exactly when to prepare for the serves. It seems like you’re ready, but then he bounces the ball 12 more times on the ground and you have to adjust again. Still, I can’t do anything because it’s within the rules – he just doesn’t exceed the time limit. If he goes over the 25-second limit, then he will get a warning for time wasting. It’s very simple,” Khachanov said.
However, Sascha Zverev himself does not place much importance on the ball bouncing on the ground.
“I don’t know why I do it, but it’s definitely not a special tactic. I saw statistics that during the tournament I made about 12 thousand bounces. That’s quite funny. I definitely don’t count it in my head and won’t try to reach a specific number,” Zverev explained.
The German, who reached his second career US Open final, will face home favorite Ben Shelton (ATP-9) in the final.
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