Khachanov reveals the key to beating Zverev: "He got a little nervous"

Jose Morón | 7 Aug 2025 | 10.14

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Seven years later, Karen Khachanov will play another Masters 1000 final. The Russian usually seizes the opportunities that the top players leave in many tournaments, and in Toronto, it has been no different. In fast conditions, Khachanov has found his ecosystem to take a step forward and stand just one victory away from winning a tournament of this caliber again, as he did in Paris in 2018.

Today, the Russian was able to save a match point against Alexander Zverev to defeat the favorite in Toronto. He has been the surprise player of the draw, and now, facing Shelton, he will try to use his greater experience to claim the title in Canada.

Feelings

I am super proud to be back in an M1000 final. I've had a great week, and although it took me many years to return here, I have achieved great things in the Slams.

What happened in the final tiebreak?

When you reach that point, I would say both players deserved to win. I couldn't tell you what made the difference. What matters is what you do in the crucial moments, like putting more balls in, hitting more winners, or making fewer unforced errors. I think he made two errors when he was 1-3 up. I put a little pressure on him there, and he got a bit nervous. When you bring your best game, you can win or lose. That's how things go.

Fritz complained that he only slept and played because they made him play very late

On the contrary, they always had me playing in the first week at 11:00 am. So, I had to go to sleep early and wake up earlier. We had an hour's drive in the car to get here, so I would sleep in the car. In the second week, the schedules were completely different. They would make me play at 7 in the evening or as the second night match. Therefore, I would go to bed later or wake up later. The days were very long, waiting to play. It felt like being in two completely different tournaments.

Fast conditions in Toronto

When I arrived, I really disliked these conditions, but it's all about adjusting and adapting. Every week we play a different tournament, even if it's on the same surface, they are different. One has less humidity, different heat, colder weather... whether you're playing during the day or at night... That's why the key is who adapts better. Then, after you pass a couple of rounds, you start playing better.

Two-week Masters 1000

To be honest, it feels a bit long. It's like halfway through a Grand Slam. I don't mind having a day off between matches, but staying mentally focused takes time. It's a 12-day tournament. Maybe 8, 9, or 10 days would work better, but that's just my opinion.

If he has also experienced harassment from outraged bettors

Throughout my career, like any player. Now, with social media, anyone can write to you, get into your head, and make you angry. When you lose a match, you don't want to read that kind of thing because you did your best, you're upset about losing, and then you read those messages. Sometimes you want to respond, but that's what they want, to provoke you. If you respond, it means you care. You just have to ignore them. I don't see any movement from the ATP to stop this. I don't know how we can protect ourselves from this. It helped me last year not to be on social media for six months. You spend your time differently. Sometimes you become addicted to scrolling through the screen. I try not to read anything. My managers handle my social media, but if I decide to check, I only look at what I want.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Khachanov revela la clave para ganar a Zverev: "Se puso un poco nervioso"