Alexander Zverev has slammed those anticipating a Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic final at the US Open, saying it is 'disrespectful' to other players.

The twelfth seed has been playing well so far at the last Grand Slam of the year. In his opening round, Zverev defeated Australia's Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The German then went on to win his second-round match against compatriot Daniel Altmaier in four sets, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

However, he has expressed his disagreement with those who are already looking forward to a clash between world No. 1 Alcaraz and 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in the final of the New York major, as Zverev said it was 'disrespectful.'

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Zverev echoes Djokovic's sentiment

"I find it logical that the media look for stories related to them, rivalries are very appreciated. However, I think it is disrespectful to others to assume that they are predestined to play in the final," Zverev said.

However, he added that he doesn't expect himself to be considered as the main opponent of the two top seeds.

"For the moment, I am 12th in the world and I don’t think I have all the cards in hand to be their main opponent," he continued.

This sentiment about it being disrespectful to anticipate a Djokovic-Alcaraz final comes after the Serbian tennis legend said something similar himself before the beginning of the Slam.

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"I think it's also in a way disrespectful to your next opponent if you're already thinking about your finals matchup. Even though I've had tremendous success, maybe you could argue that I could already start thinking about later phases and stages in the tournament, but that kind of mindset never really resonated with me," he said.

Zverev will go on to face nineteenth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the US Open tomorrow, September 2.

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Alexander Zverev is moving on to the next round.

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Zverev was asked if it helps him that media attention is on Alcaraz & Djokovic: “It’s natural for the media to look for a story. The story right now is Carlos & Novak. Last year, it was Rafa against everybody. 2021, it was kind of a triangle with Novak, Daniil, & myself. It’s…

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