"Novak wasn't at the US Open, Rafa maybe wasn't at 100 percent; So he took his chance"- Alexander Zverev on Carlos Alcaraz's US Open triumph

Alexander Zverev hailed Carlos Alcaraz for taking his chance and winning the US Open.

The Spaniard has had an extraordinary year that saw him win his maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows and become the World No. 1 in the process.

While speaking to Eurosport, Zverev was asked if he was surprised to see Carlos Alcaraz win the US Open and be at the top of the ATP rankings. The German said that while it wasn't surprising, there were a few factors that came into play, like Novak Djokovic's absence and Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev not being at their best due to fitness issues.

However, Zverev hailed Alcaraz for taking his chance and proving that he was the best player at the US Open.

"It's not really surprising. I played against him for the first time in Acapulco in 2021. I already said: 'He's going to be crazy, he's going to be an incredible player.' To be honest he is too. There were a lot of factors at play, Novak wasn't at the US Open, Rafa maybe wasn't at 100 percent, Daniil after his back injury and surgery wasn't quite where he was either last year with his tennis. So he took his chance. Hats off! He was the best player in New York. He proved that cold," Alexander Zverev said.

Carlos Alcaraz winning the US Open beautiful for tennis: Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev at the Diriyah Tennis Cup

Alexander Zverev also said that a teenager like Carlos Alcaraz winning the US Open was beautiful for tennis as it showed that the younger generation is capable of playing good tennis.

The German also said that the 2022 ATP Tour was a strange one, considering Alcaraz was the World No.1 with 6500 points while he was the World No. 3 in 2021 despite having over 8000 points.

"Carlos Alcaraz, a teenager, wins the US Open. It's beautiful for tennis. You can see that the new generation can play very good tennis and that tennis is in good hands. But it was a strange year because Alcaraz finished the year as World No. 1 with 6,500 points. Last year I had over 8,000 points and was number three in the world. It's been a weird year in that way," the World No. 12 said.

Zverev is currently competing at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia. He reached the quarterfinals of the exhibition tournament by beating Dominic Thiem 10-8, 10-7. The German will next face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semifinals.