How many ball bounces is enough?

That’s the question Alexander Zverev has been contemplating ever since this year’s US Open, when a lot of attention was placed on his ball bouncing before he served.

Often creeping into the mid-to-high teens on first serve and double digits on second serve, the German’s ball bouncing went to extremes, and contributed to some of the extra-late finishes he endured in the early rounds.

At the conclusion of his Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-final victory over Alex de Minaur Thursday, the confirmed 2026 year-end World No. 1. had an on-court discussion with the chair umpire about the time he was taking to put the ball into play.

“He was telling me to look at the shot clock when I was serving,” Zverev said. “I'm bouncing the ball a lot this year [laughing].

“It started at the US Open. I don't know why it started. I'm very well aware of it, and I'm trying to work on it. I feel like it is a bit unnecessary from my end.”

Zverev said that he doesn’t count the number of bounces or have a target number in his head. Any adjustment he's made in Shanghai this fortnight has worked. Against De Minaur he put 80 percent of first serves into play. Perhaps less is more.

The 29-year-old, who this year won Roland Garros and the US Open, said that he is concerned that excessive ball bouncing may be distracting for opponents and that he will monitor it moving forward.

“I just go when it feels right. But if you noticed, I am doing it less than I did in New York. I think it was going to an extreme for me in New York. I was not aware of it because my phone was off, I didn't see social media and all that. I was only aware of it after, and I'm trying to work on it, for sure.

“There's certain things that have to do with fairness of the game. If I'm doing something that my opponents feel is distracting, I don't want to do it. I want to win with tennis; that's what I do.”