Alexander Zverev faces US Open fitness nightmare after Carlos Alcaraz defeat

Kevin Palmer 17 Aug 2025 1:41 AM

Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati

Alexander Zverev faces an uncertain few weeks after his Cincinnati Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz ended in alarming fashion.

The world No 3 battled to the end of his clash against a player sitting one place ahead of him in the ATP Rankings, but it was clear a long way from the end of the match that Zverev was in physical distress.

The German had an injury time-out during the second set and there was some surprise that he opted to carry on the match when he was clearly struggling.

This semi-final concluded with a 6-4, 6-3 win for Alcaraz, but the bigger concern must be around Zverev, who is due to play in the US Open mixed doubles event with Belinda Bencic on Tuesday.

It is hard to imagine Zverev will be back on court in New York so quickly and such was his demise in the match against Alcaraz that his participation in the singles at the US Open must also be in doubt.

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Alcaraz carried out the tradition of posting a message on the TV camera with a message wishing Zverev well and he conceded his win was a little hollow as his opponent was clearly in distress.

“It’s never easy playing against someone who is not feeling 100 per-cent,” said Alcaraz.

“Sascha is a great player and we have a really great relationship off the court, so it was difficult.

“We started the match on a good level, playing really good rallies and then my thoughts are with him. It was a really difficult situation and I wish him all the best.”

Alcaraz will now continue his rivalry with world No 1 Jannik Sinner in Monday’s final in Cincinnati, with the Spanish admitting he is relishing the challenge.

“I’m really look forward to playing against him again,” added Alcaraz. “Thanks to him, I bring my best tennis.

“We bring really beautiful tennis and I am ready for the challenge. I am trying to get better from our last match and I try to be ready.

“Mentally I am trying to be ready and I am excited for Monday.”

Alcaraz leads his head-to-head clashes with Sinner 8-5, with the Italian winning their most recent meeting in last month’s Wimbledon final.

Prior to that, Alcaraz won five straight matches against his rival, with the tennis world set to grind to a halt once again as the ‘Big 2’ meet in another final.

With Alcaraz and Sinner making it through to the Monday final in Cincinnati, there must also be big doubts over their participation in the US Open mixed doubles, which gets underway on Tuesday.

Alcaraz is due to play with Emma Raducanu in New York on Tuesday, while Sinner is paired with American Emma Navarro.