Alexander Zverev - needs a Grand Slam to touch greatness

From a promising generation

Seven years ago, after shocking Novak Djokovic in the final of the Italian Open, Alexander Zverev - along with his close friend Dominic Thiem, were considered among the "next generation" of tennis players who could challenge and replace the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Like Federer and Nadal, Zverev and Thiem have contrasting styles. Zverev's game is built on composure and balance, his forehand sweet and decisive, while Thiem puts his whole body into every shot. They share a penchant for near-constant aggression. Alexander's brother and former Top 30 player Mischa Zverev describes them in one word: "Wild."

“I think the previous generation, especially Andy and Novak, were very professional. The focus was on perfection,” Mischa said. “I think Sascha (Alexander's nickname) and Dominic, and this generation as well, will be a little more creative.”

Zverev grew up playing field hockey and soccer, and he was a die-hard Miami Heat fan. But when he decided to focus on tennis, he was all in. He ate carefully. He went to bed early and didn’t drink. He went to a physiotherapist and a personal trainer, Jez Green, who had previously helped Andy Murray build one of the fittest bodies on tour. At 19, Zverev ended his season early to get in an extra-long (and extra-hard) training period.

So it's not surprising that at the age of 20, Zverev is considered one of the factors that can challenge the previous generation...

Grand Slam anxiety

Seven years have passed, and Zverev's career has been on a roll. He has won 23 singles titles and two doubles titles, and even won an Olympic Gold Medal before Djokovic, who only achieved his dream this summer. The German also has seven ATP Masters 1000 titles, and two ATP Finals titles - a year-end event that Rafael Nadal has never won.

On his journey, Zverev has had victories over Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or his contemporaries like Danill Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, or the next generation like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz... But what makes the 27-year-old tennis player most anxious, most thirsty, most craving - and still hasn't achieved, are the Grand Slam tournaments.

Zverev has lost both times he has reached the final - to Thiem at the 2020 US Open and to Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open. Both finals went to five sets and both times he led (2-0 and 2-1). That both confirmed that Zverev had reached the level where he could reach a Grand Slam, and also showed that he was lacking a little.

During the same period, Federer added 2 Grand Slams before retiring, Nadal had 7 Grand Slams, and Djokovic had 12 victories at major events, to set a record of 24 Grand Slams - the most of all time among male tennis players.

Federer has retired, Nadal is on the verge of leaving professional tennis, Djokovic, at 37, is also struggling to move up from 24 to 25. But the challenge comes from Medvedev - who won the US Open, and there is huge pressure from younger players, with Sinner having 2 Grand Slams this year, Alcaraz having 4 Grand Slams since 2022 until now.

Grand Slam and world number 1

After Zverev's convincing final win over Ugo Humbert, Sascha is not only the first German to win the Paris Masters since Boris Becker in 1992, but also has the most match wins (66) among men in 2024 - one more than Sinner. There are still ATP Finals for Zverev to compete with Sinner, but one thing he cannot do in 2024 is win the world No. 1 ranking.

Also after the victory over Humbert, Zverev pushed Alcaraz down to take the 2nd place on the rankings. Once again, it was the approach to the peak that brought a feeling of "lack". He reached the 2nd place in the world in June 2022. He had a period of holding the position in the Top 10 from July 2017 to November 2022. It can be seen that the No. 1 position in the world is also another "obsession" for Zverev to rise up and enter the group of great tennis players in the world.

But the Grand Slams are closely linked to the world No. 1 ranking. In history, only two players have ever reached the No. 1 ranking without winning a Grand Slam: Ivan Lendl and Marcelo Rios. But while Lendl, a Czech/American, went on to win eight Grand Slams, his Chilean counterpart did not win a major until he retired at the age of 28.

Zverev is 27 years old, as mentioned, the pressure on him now comes from behind, when the Big Three are nearing the end of their era. As Zverev himself confirmed, although he is currently ranked 2nd, the gap behind Sinner is still very far (about 3,000 points). When asked whether winning the world No. 1 position or the Grand Slam is the priority goal, Zverev said, those are "parallel goals".

The Future and Words from the Past

That means, from 2025, Zverev will have to actually get his hands on some Grand Slam, the more the better, because a win at this level gives players 2,000 points.

To do that, Zverev will have to stick to what he said four years ago, after losing to Thiem at the US Open. “In the life of a professional athlete, you have ups and downs. You can go from world champion to the worst moment of your career in one year. Getting caught up in the bad times is the biggest mistake you can make. You shouldn’t try to judge things when times are tough, you should try to find ways to get better when you’re at your best.

Looking back at when I was world number three, I should have pushed myself harder. It's easy to change when you're panicking, but the best time to really improve is when you're successful, when things aren't stressful and your mind is in a good state."

And if the pressure continues to be on Zverev in the near future, he will not forget what he said about how to deal with it: “Pressure is unpredictable and it comes at the strangest times. In times like this, take a step back and spend time with friends or family. For me, my family is everything and I owe them a lot for helping me become the player I am today. My parents left the Soviet Union in 1991 and went to Germany – a country where they didn’t speak the language, didn’t know anyone and had to start completely from scratch.

They both worked extremely hard and taught me and my brother everything. That makes me appreciate what I have now even more. They made me who I am today. I know who I am. I am Alexander Zverev and I know that one day I will be the best tennis player in the world.”