(Reuters) – Alexander Zverev said that letting his best chance so far in Grand Slam glory slip through his fingers at last year’s US Open has not encouraged him but has provided an added incentive to do the job this year.
The 23-year-old German, who for years has been touted as the future of the sport, came close to lifting the championship trophy in the September finals at Flushing Meadows but eventually fell to Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller.
“That loss made me even more excited,” he told reporters ahead of the Miami Open.
“I was two points away from winning my first Grand Slam title at the US Open, but I didn’t do it at the end of the day. You have to look at those things too, ”he said.
“In a way, this year I feel more motivated than ever to do well. I try to improve every aspect of the game to give myself the best chance.
“I feel like I’m building towards that.”
Zverev’s better game was on display on Saturday when he dug deep to send his young mate Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the Mexican Open Championship.
The big-serving Zverev, who is ranked seventh, said he was not too picky about which Camp Lawn title he would like to win first.
“I’d like to win them all,” he said with a smile before adding that he was most comfortable on hard courts and clay.
But he said he was determined not to get too far ahead of himself.
“I’m looking forward to the next few weeks. I’m not trying to think of the Grand Slams at the moment because the Grand Slams … are still a bit far away, ”he said.
“We’ve had four 1000s Masters events before that. I have other big events before that, too. I try to focus on that, try to compete in those events, try to do the (best) job I can. ”