NEW YORK: Alexander Zverev has nothing but applause and appreciation for Novak Djokovic's 2021 run.
"It's great for the sport. Nobody thought anybody will do what Rod Laver did," Zverev said of the calendar Slam. "To see Novak have the chance on Sunday, I believe that he will do, he's breaking every single record there is."
The 24-year-old, who finished at the wrong end of a five-set scoreline in the US Open semifinals, added, "If you look at the stats, he's the greatest of all time. Nobody is there with him -- most weeks world No. 1, most Masters 1000s titles, most likely going to be most Grand Slams. And he has the chance of winning all four in the same year. How do you compete with that?"
Zverev said, "He plays the best tennis when he needs to. I think mentally he's the best player to ever play the game. Mentally in the most important moments, I would rather play against anybody else but him."
