Alexander Zverev's US Open Journey: Unfinished Business in New York

Alexander Zverev walked off court exhausted and relieved, the kind of relief that only a five‑hour scrap in New York can produce.

“I’m just happy I won,” the French Open champion told the ATP Tour after surviving a marathon first-round battle. “Incredible battle. A lot of ups and downs. Nearly five hours for a first round. I think this is the longest first-round match I’ve ever played in my life.”

It was a reminder of how unforgiving the US Open can be, even before the serious names collide in the second week. For Zverev, it also stirred memories of a night he still hasn’t fully escaped.

Unfinished business in New York

Four years ago, Zverev stood on the brink of his first major title in Flushing Meadows. He led Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, close enough to the trophy to taste it, before the match slipped away and Thiem clawed his way back to win.

That defeat still sits with him.

“I still feel like I should have won in 2020, that doesn’t change,” Zverev admitted at a press conference last week. There was no attempt to soften the blow with time or perspective. The regret remains sharp.

Yet he refuses to carry it as a burden. Asked where he sees himself in this year’s draw, the 27-year-old didn’t play the usual game of false modesty.

“I feel like I’m one of the 128 players that are favourites in the draw,” he said, a wry nod to the chaos that can unfold over two weeks in New York.

This season has already taken him to the Wimbledon final in July, another step in a career that keeps edging towards the sport’s biggest prizes. The expectations grow, the scrutiny tightens, but one constant has followed him through the highs and the bruising lows.

The constant in the player’s box

Through injuries, comebacks and near-misses, one familiar figure has become a fixture in Zverev’s box: his long-term girlfriend, Sophia Thomalla.

The pair have been together for more than five years, her presence increasingly visible as Zverev has pushed deeper into the latter stages of majors. Cameras often find her during tense moments, expression fixed, riding the same emotional swings as the man on court.

From East Berlin to the world stage

Born in East Berlin on October 6, 1989, Sophia Thomalla grew up in a household already wired for the spotlight. Her parents, Simone Thomalla and André Vetters, are both actors, and their separation in 1995 meant Sophia’s childhood unfolded across several German cities.

She spent her early years in Berlin before moving with her mother to Cologne and Kleinmachnow, experiences that shaped a life lived in front of the public eye. The performing arts, red carpets and cameras were never far away.

Thomalla built her own profile as an actress and media personality, but she has also become known for something more immediately visible: her tattoos. She started getting inked young, turning her body into a kind of visual diary.

One of the most striking pieces carries a deeply personal story. On her skin is a statement tattoo featuring the name and birth date of actor Sven Martinek, who dated her mother in the late 1990s, according to German tabloid Klatsch-Tratsch. It is the kind of bold, permanent tribute that underlines how she approaches both life and image — unapologetically direct.

Now, that same unapologetic presence follows Zverev around the world. From Paris to London to New York, while he chases the titles he believes slipped away too soon, Thomalla sits a few rows above the court, watching every point, every tiebreak, every wobble.

The questions around Zverev are familiar: can he finally close out a major, can he turn all those “almost” moments into something permanent? As this US Open unfolds, one thing is certain. If he does finally conquer New York, the camera won’t have to search long to find the person who has seen every step of the journey.