Martina Navratilova says the US Open must fix problem after Alexander Zverev’s semi-final complaint

Alexander Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov in the US Open semi-finals.

At first glance, Zverev’s 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 win over Khachanov looks simple, but in reality, it was anything but.

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Both players had to deal with several disturbances in the match, from fans moving in between points to sunlight glaring from the hospitality boxes.

After hearing Zverev say that the glare made hitting the ball a ‘lottery’, Martina Navratilova told the US Open to take action.

Martina Navratilova says the US Open ‘need to fix’ glare problem after semi-final complaints

During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Laura Robson, who watched the semi-final courtside, was asked to explain the issue.

“There was a lot going on. But what happened was that, at a certain part of the day, the new suites which haven’t been fully finished yet. There is still quite a temporary finish on some of the doors, and so the sun hitting them was producing such a massive glint,” she said.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

“So every time someone opened the door, you get that swooping around on the court. The players initially were trying to figure out what was going on. They were asking the Chair Umpire, who was pointing to one particular suite, but, of course, as the sun moves, it then goes from suite to suite.

“It wasn’t leaving. What are you going to say to the spectators in hospitality? No, you can’t open the door?

“I don’t know what the resolution is; maybe we will see someone paint them by Sunday!”

Navratilova was also keen to weigh in.

“Maybe they’re going to put some film over the doors, because this is going to be an ongoing problem!” she said.

“People shouldn’t do it [open and close the doors] during a point, but when you’re up there, you’re not disturbing anything; it’s the door that’s the problem.

“I think they’ll solve it.

“This is disturbing; they need to fix it.”

Photo by Manuela Davies/USTA via Getty Images

Navratilova then remembered a time when she faced a similar issue.

“I can kind of feel sorry for them, but not that much,” she said.

“In the old days, on Louis Armstrong, this wall, there was glass up there where the press was, so that whole side of the court, you had the glare coming at you, it actually made a line on the court for about half an hour!”

Navratilova was half-joking and implored the US Open to find a solution before the final.

“I’m kidding! They need to fix it,” she said.

Zverev and Khachanov both complained about the issue, and understandably so.

The glare would have distracted anyone, and the semi-finalists’ patience had worn thin after fans kept moving in between points.

During the second-set tiebreak, Robson couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I just thought it was absolutely wild, though, I was looking straight ahead of me and at 3-2 in the breaker, not even a changeover, you’ve got people coming in the sides,” she said.

“I understand there is freedom of movement in certain areas of the stadium, but this was low in the bowl, yes, it’s on the sides, but it’s absolutely still noticeable to the players.

“So I think there’s got to be a little bit of fine-tuning here.”

Martina Navratilova gives her verdict on Alexander Zverev’s Grand Slam season as he reaches another final

Navratilova was impressed by Zverev, who will play his third consecutive Grand Slam final on Sunday.

“What a year in the majors. Outstanding stuff,” she said.

Alexander Zverev’s 2026 Grand Slam record

Grand SlamPerformanceMatch winsDefeatAustralian OpenSemi-final5 (Gabriel Diallo, Alexandre Muller, Cameron Norrie, Francisco Cerundolo, Learner Tien)Carlos AlcarazFrench OpenChampion7 (Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Quentin Halys, Jesper De Jong, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli)–WimbledonFinal6 (Alexander Blockx, Valentin Royer, Marcos Giron, Jiri Lehecka, Taylor Fritz, Arthur Fery)Jannik SinnerUS OpenFinal*6 (Lorenzo Sonego, Quentin Halys, Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi, Botic van de Zandschulp, Karen Khachanov)–Alexander Zverev’s 2026 Grand Slam record

“Ok, [Jannik] Sinner lost early, [Carlos] Alcaraz didn’t play the French [Open], but it’s not an asterisk; he still had to get through as the favourite, and he did.

“That gave him the confidence to play better tennis after that.

“I think he played better at Wimbledon than he did at Roland Garros, and now [at the US Open] he started off badly by his own admission, but after that, he relaxed, and hasn’t lost a set in his last four matches; he’s cooking.”

Zverev has looked unstoppable ever since his tricky first-round and second-round matches in New York.

He will have won 13 consecutive US Open sets when he walks onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for the final against Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe on Sunday, September 13.

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