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Bollywood star R Madhavan attended the US Open 2026 and reflected on his lifelong association with tennis, recalling memories of watching his father play while also sharing his admiration for Alexander Zverev and Roger Federer.
Zverev stormed into the US Open semifinals for the third time in his career with a commanding 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday. Madhavan, who watched Zverev advance to the mens singles semifinals, said his connection with tennis began through his father, who used to play the sport in their hometown, Jamshedpur. "My dad used to play tennis. We lived in a small town in India, Jamshedpur. The happy time with the family was when Dad took us to the tennis court and played. I would look at him and see a smile on my fathers face that I had never seen before. He was the happiest when he was playing tennis, so I have great memories of that," Madhavan said in an interview shared by JioStar. The actor added that attending the US Open was a special moment for him and something his father would have been proud of. "Apart from all my achievements, hed be like, What, you went to the US Open? Fabulous. Its been a great year for me because I was at the Masters earlier this year, and now Im here," he added. Speaking about what makes the US Open unique, Madhavan said the tournament carries a different energy among fans and players. "The fact that its obviously one of the Grand Slams, and theres an ease about the whole tournament. Everybodys dressed very cool. Winning it in America is another deal altogether. US Open is fun, and I think winning here is more of a celebration," he said. Reflecting on the Carlos Alcaraz-Ben Shelton clash, Madhavan praised the intensity of the match and backed Zverev to win the mens singles title. "I missed the match of matches; everybodys talking about it, but those guys were just monsters. I dont know how they managed for five hours, and what a huge upset. The sheer grit that Shelton showed was extraordinary, which means there will be an American in the final. And I know the Americans dont want to hear it, but I think Zverev is going to win it," he said in an interview shared by JioStar. Madhavan also named Roger Federer as his favourite tennis player, while praising Zverev for inspiring people with diabetes through his career. "Federer will be number one for me. I like his attitude. But Im also a huge fan of Alexander Zverev. Hes diabetic, and hes made people with diabetes not look as uncool anymore, which is phenomenal," he said. When asked about portraying a tennis player in a biopic, Madhavan picked John McEnroe, describing him as "fully movie material", and chose Steffi Graf as his preferred tennis co-star. "There is a video of a fan asking her, Will you marry me? and she says, How much money do you have? in the middle of the match. It was phenomenal. Great presence of mind!" he said. (ANI)
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