Alexander Zverev's excessive ball-bouncing before serving has left US Open fans frustrated as he battles Ben Shelton in Sunday's men's singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Zverev, the reigning French Open champion, is chasing his second Grand Slam title against the American. Throughout his run to the final, fans have noted the German's habit of bouncing the ball repeatedly, well beyond what is typically seen on tour, before stepping into his serve.
Asked about the habit in an interview, Zverev struggled to explain it. "I have no idea why. I'm not doing it on purpose," he told reporters. "I just, I saw the stat, like I bounced it 12,000 times or something like that. That was quite funny."
Tennis fans are growing tired of Alexander Zverev's pre-serve habits at the US Open.
He said he was not consciously counting his bounces or aiming for a certain number. "I don't know why it increased so much," Zverev said. "I think today it decreased again. Because I saw it before the semifinals. So I was like, okay, it's got to go less. But then, like, I forget about it every once in a while, and then it goes up to, I don't know what number it is."
When asked if anything specific prompts him to stop bouncing the ball, Zverev replied: "No clue. Honestly, like, really honestly, no idea."
Fans have debated Zverev's habit of bouncing the ball pre-serve an excessive amount of times.
Fans react on social media
The habit has drawn criticism online. "It's almost always 16 times come on Sasha, you know it," read one comment. Another user wrote: "It's obviously a tactic."
Final score update
At the time of publishing, Zverev led Shelton after winning the first two sets 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
Zverev is in his second Grand Slam final of the year, playing Ben Shelton for the US Open crown.
