Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam title at the US Open by defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets. His habit of excessively bouncing the ball before serving has stirred debate among players and fans.
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Though players can bounce the ball within the 25 seconds allowed for a first serve, Zverev’s behavior has been criticized. Reports suggest he bounced the ball approximately 12,000 times during his first five matches, totaling nearly two and a half hours over the tournament. While legal, some spectators accused Zverev of using this tactic to distract opponents.
Zverev himself has previously voiced concerns over opponents misusing medical timeouts and other rules to stall play, which has led to claims of a double standard among commentators.
After his semifinal loss, Karen Khachanov expressed his frustration with Zverev's routine, stating, "The way he bounces the ball annoys not only me, but, of course, a lot of players, because it takes so much time. You don't know how to prepare for the serve; you are ready, then it's another 12 bounces." He acknowledged the legality of the practice, noting that a time violation would occur if Zverev exceeded the serving time limit.
Following the final match, Shelton also commented on the timing rules, arguing there should be a constraint on the second serve: "I think that there should be some sort of rule... limiting time on second serve. You shouldn’t have unlimited time.” He felt that Zverev’s prolonged routine forced him to wait unnecessarily, saying, "He never does less than 10 bounces, so I'm always going to be ready when he's ready to serve."
Zverev responded humorously to the criticism, saying, "I’m not doing it on purpose. I bounced it 12,000 times or something like that. That’s quite funny... But I am still always within the time frame." He later admitted, “It was a bit extreme,