Alexander Zverev is on Sunday (9:30 a.m. in the live ticker at sportschau.de) in the third Grand Slam final of his career. He hasn’t been able to win one yet. But this time something is different: Zverev comes to the showdown more rested than ever before.
It is one of the most frequently heard phrases in sports and at the same time one of the most important truths: “Looking forward.” Nothing could be more crucial before the final against the world number 1. But Alexander Zverev only had to answer questions about his past after his victory against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Questions about Djokovic, questions about his role due to injury, questions about what the German has done since his last defeat Grand Slam-Final at the French Open changed in 2024.
The reason was banal: Zverev’s final opponent had not yet been decided. The second semi-final had not yet been played. And yet Zverev must have expected that there would be a confrontation with the currently undisputed number 1 in the world. Jannik Sinner, defending champion and tournament favorite.
Impeccable efficiency
Defeating Sinner is currently the biggest task in men’s tennis. Since the ATP Finals at the end of 2023, Sinner has won 82 (!) of 88 matches. Sinner approaches his matches with almost sterile coldness. His game is not as explosive as Carlos Alcaraz’s.
Nevertheless, he is world class in every single part of the game. In its precision and uncompromising style, his tennis is reminiscent of Novak Djokovic’s in his best times. It doesn’t always engage the audience, but it’s impeccably efficient.
If there’s anything to highlight from Sinner’s perfect package, it’s his mobility. Sinner almost never has the wrong position with the ball. This makes it extremely difficult for his opponents to get him off balance and to catch him on the wrong foot. His excellent skiing qualities may have something to do with this. The fact is that once Sinner is in the lead, he almost always takes this lead to the finish.
Grains saved
For Zverev it will therefore be important to be mentally and physically up to speed in every single sentence, if necessary until the fifth. The conditions for this are better than ever before. In contrast to the US Open and the French Open in Paris, when he reached the final in each case, Zverev has in the course of the two weeks Melbourne saved a lot of grain and hardly had to survive a critical situation.
The only stress test came in the quarterfinal match against Tommy Paulwhen the American practically gave away the first two sentences. Zverev does not accept that the canceled match against Djokovic could possibly disrupt his rhythm: “I think I still played a set at a high level. It’s not like we didn’t play at all. If I had had four days off, that might have been a bit too much.”
In a direct comparison, Zverev leads 4:2. The two faced each other twice at Grand Slams, both at the US Open. When Zverev won in three sets in 2021, Sinner’s development was not yet as advanced as it is today. Things were different in 2023. Zverev won a fight in humid conditions that was decided by the German’s better condition. Even now, the condition could speak for Zverev. Sinner has been struggling with obvious physical problems for a week. He and his team are keeping a secret about what exactly he has.
Cryptic Sinner
Also his trainer Darren Cahill remains vague and only speaks of “Things”. His protégé has here “struggling with some things. But I couldn’t be prouder of how he conducted himself here on and off the field. On the fight he showed and on his resilience.”
There is plenty of speculation, but no confirmation. Asked about the leg cramps in the semi-final against Ben Shelton Sinner said cryptically: “It’s never easy. I put a lot of work into my body on days when I don’t have to play, trying to understand my body better. There are days when it’s easier. Other days it’s more difficult.”
Sinner was of course also asked what he expected from the finale: “We’ve played against each other a few times. It’s going to be a difficult match for both of us, it’s going to be very physical. Then we’ll see. It’s hard to say who is the favorite on Sunday. Anything can happen.” There it was, the view forward.