Tennis news - Alexander Zverev says Novak Djokovic still favourite for US Open after winning Western & Southern Open

ByJames Walker-Roberts

Updated 23/08/2021 at 10:52 GMT

Alexander Zverev is on an 11-match winning run after beating Andrey Rublev to win the Western & Southern Open title. The German's impressive form means he looks set to be one of the favourites for the upcoming US Open, but he still believes that world No 1 Novak Djokovic will be the man to beat at the final Grand Slam of the year.

Alexander Zverev believes Novak Djokovic is still the favourite for the US Open even though he is heading into the tournament in some of the best form of his career.

Zverev, who lost in the final in New York last year, eased past Andrey Rublev at the Western & Southern Open to win his fourth title of the season.

He is now on an 11-match winning streak after beating Djokovic on his way to winning gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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But despite his impressive form this summer, Zverev thinks Djokovic, who is bidding for the Calendar Slam, is the player to beat at the US Open.

“I do think that he's still the favourite. I do think he's going to be playing incredible tennis there,” said Zverev after his 6-2 6-3 victory over Rublev.

“He's going to be fresh, and I think there is also other guys that are in very good form. I think Rublev is in very good form, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, all those guys are playing great tennis.

It's definitely going to be an interesting US Open. But I'm also looking forward to it, because I know where I stand, I know how I'm playing, and I hope I can continue the work and hopefully play even better in New York.

“I'm looking forward to the week. Let's see how it goes. But there is still one week to go. I still have a lot of work ahead of me. I have to find my rhythm in New York, as well.”

World No 4 Zverev has not lost a match since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon seven weeks ago.

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Djokovic, on the other hand, has not played since Tokyo and admitted after the tournament that he was battling injuries.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, who beat Zverev in the 2020 US Open, will not be playing in New York as they recover from injuries.

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While the changing of the guard now appears closer than ever, Zverev said: “We have to see. The other guys are still there, right? I mean, Novak is still World No. 1. Let's not forget that. Rafa is still top 10, as well. They are still there. I think… they're going to come back even stronger.

“But we'll see. I think tennis is in a good spot, I would say, because the other guys are still there. Novak is still at the top of his game, but the young guys all look quite strong. It's going to be interesting to see who will do what in the next few years.”

The US Open starts on August 30.

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