Karen Khachanov Sparks Controversy Over Alexander Zverev

The US Open semifinal between Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov, which the German won 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) in three hours of play, left a trail of controversy that Khachanov himself addressed during a press conference. The Russian tennis player, who returned to the final four of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since Melbourne 2023, expressed his disappointment with Zverev’s time management on serve, especially between his first and second serves.

“He bounces the ball a lot before serving, and I’m not the only one who finds this behavior annoying,” Khachanov told reporters. You’re standing there ready to return, and suddenly you see him bouncing the ball again—another twelve times. It happens practically on every point. Of course, I can’t say anything if he serves within the time limit, but there are times when he could be penalized and it doesn’t happen.”

Specifically, he’s referring to the “time violation,” which is penalized only on a first serve if the player exceeds the 25-second limit. In the case of a second serve, this limit does not exist (the point is considered the same), but the chair umpire can still issue a warning—and possibly penalize—the player for “time delay” if he wastes too much time on this serve as well.

Zverev’s tendency to wait until the very last possible second to serve had already been noticed even before his match against Khachanov. Between the first round and the quarterfinals, according to a curious statistic reported by ‘ESPN’, the German bounced the ball 12,040 times while serving: an area that Ben Shelton’s team—the man who will challenge Zverev for the 2026 US Open men’s title—will inevitably have to work on as they prepare for the final.