Zverev concedes he must change serving routine after US Open backlash

Alexander Zverev is now aware his slow serving routine is a problem, and he plans to fix it.

Alexander Zverev received a time violation from umpire Mohaed Lahyani during the second set of his Shanghai Masters semi-final against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The 29-year-old German was punished for taking too long to serve while leading 7-5, 2-1 against Davidovich Fokina.

After holding serve, Zverev complained to the impire.

Zverev has been bouncing the ball many times before serving, something that frustrated many of his opponents during his run to the U.S. Open in September.

The world No. 2 also received time violations during the tournament, but he continued with the same practice.

Now, the two-time Grand Slam champion says he is already adjusting to reduce the number of bounces and does not want to distract his opponents.

Zverev addressed the criticism following his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

The German had a chat with the chair umpire about the amount of time he was taking before serving.

“He was telling me to look at the shot clock when I was serving. I’m bouncing the ball a lot this year,” Zverev said.

"It started at the US Open. I don't know why it started. I'm very well aware of it, and I'm trying to work on it. I feel like it is a bit unnecessary from my end," he added.

The German has already enjoyed a successful season, winning Roland Garros and the U.S. Open for the first two Grand Slam titles of his career.

Zverev has also secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career.