Alexander Zverev says Carlos Alcaraz once asked him what he was thinking as he served for the US Open men’s singles title in New York earlier this month. Zverev told the story of the moment with Alcaraz after Zverev’s championship run, describing how he had been focused on the situation but, by his own account, had not had a clear thought beyond simply executing his serve.
The accounts agree that Zverev won his first Flushing Meadows title by defeating Ben Shelton in a four-set final. After the match, he returned to routine practice and baseline positioning, which he presented as the mindset he used at the decisive stages. Both outlets frame the exchange as a candid look at in-match psychology rather than a tactical debate, highlighting the contrast between a rival’s curiosity and Zverev’s own description of a blank or minimal mental state at the championship point.
