Khachanov lashes out at Zverev: "What he does bothers many of us tennis players"

Karen Khachanov once again faced the insurmountable wall that are the Grand Slam semifinals for him. This time, his executioner was Alexander Zverev at the US Open 2026, and the Russian's words in the press conference show his pride for the tournament he played, but also his unease for not having been able to advance to the grand final.

It seemed like this could be his big opportunity, but Karen Khachanov couldn't pull off the surprise against Alexander Zverev. The Russian displayed a good level in the semifinal of the US Open 2026 against the German, but ultimately capitulated and watched as his dream of becoming champion at Flushing Meadows faded away. It’s worth revisiting his reflections in the press conference.

This is what Karen Khachanov said after losing to Zverev at the US Open 2026

Assessment of the US Open after losing to Zverev

"You have to look at things from different perspectives. If after a US swing that wasn’t too good someone had told me I was going to go far in the US Open, I would definitely have signed for that."

"But it’s also said that appetite comes with eating. I acknowledge it was a great tournament and a great performance, but at the same time, I’m a bit disappointed because I had my opportunities. I had them in the last two sets and I wasn’t able to take advantage of them. Now it’s time to go home."

Khachanov's unease over missed opportunities

"No, I have no regrets. It also doesn’t make sense to think afterward that I should have played a drop shot and then, if you try it and fail or the opponent gets to it, to say that I should have attacked. It doesn’t work like that."

"I chose to play the way I did. I trusted my shots and my decisions. Maybe I rushed a bit in some situations, but on the other side of the court, I had an opponent. Not everything depends on me."

"It would be very easy if everything always depended on me. In the last exchanges, he let me play and started to put less intensity in his shots. I noticed it. I could have held on longer in those points, yes, but I chose the moments when I felt comfortable to take the risk, or rather, to play aggressively. That’s all."

"I made some mistakes, but I also made some very good points. Later, I saw that he only won three more points than I did in the entire match. What can I say? He won the important points."

Khachanov criticizes Zverev

"He didn’t do anything different from what I expected or what we had prepared with my team and my coach. We know each other very well. Sascha mentioned it before the match. In a way, our styles are even a bit similar, although he has a more powerful serve, especially with the first serve, and he also achieves a higher percentage overall."

"As for how he bounces the ball before serving, it obviously doesn’t just bother me. Many players find it uncomfortable because it takes a lot of time. You don’t know exactly when to prepare for the serve. You’re ready, and suddenly he bounces the ball another twelve times. Then you have to do the split step and get ready again. And that happens practically on every point."

"In the end, if it’s within the rules and he respects the time allowed between points, I can’t say anything against it because he’s following the rules. If he exceeds the time, he receives a warning. It’s that simple."

Should the chair umpire punish Zverev?

"I’m not the type of player who would ask the chair umpire to pay attention to that. I don’t like to do it, and I don’t like it when opponents do it either."

"I think at some point they even told me that I take an average of 12 or 15 seconds between points. Maybe after some long exchanges, it could be that I’m very close to the time limit in certain tournaments and then the opponent complains or says something about it."

"I consider it the chair umpire’s responsibility to notice, to be attentive, and to take the necessary measures. So it depends on him, not on me."

Khachanov's confidence in becoming a finalist or Grand Slam champion

"Yes, I believe it. I firmly believe it. If I didn’t believe it, I probably wouldn’t be here right now."

"As I said, after some disappointing tournaments and a challenging first half of the season, I’m here in the semifinals. I’m not saying this to boast about how incredible I am, but to show that anything is possible."

"I need to try to reach this level and maintain this consistency more often. That is my goal right now. If I manage it, I’ll have a chance. I think that's how it works."

Plans after the US Open and what to do with the money

"The plan right now is quite simple. Tomorrow I’m flying back home. Moreover, this trip has been quite long because I started in Los Cabos at the end of July. I think I’ve been almost seven weeks without seeing my wife and my kids."

"Well, actually my wife was with me at the first two tournaments, but now we haven’t seen each other for a while. I miss them a lot."

"In general, I want to rest, probably four or five days, and then sit down with my team to decide which tournaments I will play on the Asian tour and in China."

"As for the money, I don’t have any plans yet. Given my situation and my age, although I still consider myself young, maybe I should be a bit more conservative. Start saving and not just spend. So maybe that’s my goal now."

The difficulty of competing after a Grand Slam

"In the end, I’m not in a situation like Novak Djokovic, Rafa or Roger, who have won so many Grand Slams and who, even when they were younger, played many more tournaments."

"The ranking counts and everything is important. I’m eager to play. I want to win more titles and I want to compete in more Masters 1000 and do better in them. I don’t have 30 titles like those legends, so for me, it’s clear that it makes sense to keep playing."

"But at the same time, I have to be prepared mentally and physically. After a Grand Slam, you realize everything it demands. This trip in New York has been really long."

"I arrived on the Saturday of the previous week, so tomorrow it will be exactly three weeks. And since then, you have to stay focused every day: do your routines, train, play matches, and take care of everything else."

"It’s exhausting, obviously. That’s why you know how much it costs to go far in a Grand Slam and, especially, what it takes to reach a final or win the tournament."

Very interesting words from Karen Khachanov who does not lose faith in himself and has not held back when it comes to denouncing what he considers a bad practice by Alexander Zverev, his executioner in this US Open 2026.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Khachanov carga contra Zverev: "A muchos tenistas nos molesta lo que hace"