The US Open was a wholly unpredictable competition, particularly on the men’s side, as few could have possibly foreseen who would advance as far as they did.
However, once Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic had exited early, it really did become anyone’s game.
That is what makes it all the more frustrating that Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, could not take any advantage at all.
Justine Henin has been particularly damning when combing back through the campaign.
Justine Henin reacts to Alexander Zverev’s US Open campaign
Speaking to Eurosport, the former world number one pulled no punches in her assessment of Zverev’s campaign.
She would boldly claim: ‘Zverev is a disappointment. There were expectations. For me, it’s mainly the manner. I found him extremely defensive.
one point, you say to yourself that to win a Grand Slam, and he came close to doing it at Roland Garros and at the same time so far, he has to dare even more.
‘Against Fritz, I saw him fall back into his old ways. I think there are strong decisions to make to win a Grand Slam tournament, particularly on calendar issues. It was his 73rd match [of the season]!
‘He can highlight his backhand that let him down, but for me, it goes further than that. And at some point, you have to save yourself and find your peak form, Djokovic is the master in this area.