analysis
Tennis professional Alexander Zverev is confident before the start of the Australian Open. The truth as to whether the German will finally win his first Grand Slam title this time is on the court. Or maybe in heaven?
Media Day, the day of press conferences for tennis stars shortly before the start of the Australian Open, was almost over for Alexander Zverev. The last question seemed to have been answered, as there was a request to speak from the back row. “Can I ask one more question?” called Novak Djokovic across the large hall. Djokovic, whose press conference was to follow Zverev’s, asked his rival about his interest in the universe and the planets and whether the answer to winning a Grand Slam lay in the stars. Zverev countered with a smile: “I think the answer to how to win a Grand Slam is to let me win one.”
The relaxed mood at the end of the press conference left no doubt as to whether Zverev would take the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, in his stride. The 27-year-old made it clear that his goals are still the same: reach the top of the world rankings and win one of the four major tournaments.
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Zverev did not rest himself in the grueling year of 2024 and played the most matches of all the top players. The reward was second place in the world rankings. He avoids Jannik Sinner, the absolute top favorite, until a possible final. The Hamburg resident also admitted that his draw reads as solvable, but of course he also thinks about his almost traditional starting difficulties: “Of course I know that I have Djokovic or Alcaraz in the semi-finals, but I also have to concentrate on my matches first. I’m also a candidate for playing five sets at the beginning of the tournament and I have to get through the matches get through it first.”
Alexander Zverev during training
The start of the season did not go as desired for Zverev, who, unlike last year, was only able to play two matches in preparation for the first Grand Slam. Then a bicep strain put him out of action. But according to his own statement, he is almost fit for the Australian Open 2025 adventure: “We are professional athletes. With the load we have, we always have a few problems. I feel good now. I still had a few problems with my arm at the United Cup, but I think it’s much better now . And I’m looking forward to the tournament starting now.”
Zverev’s mantra
For Zverev, a season that is crucial for his goals is beginning. He celebrates his 28th birthday in April. The oldest debut champion at a Grand Slam in the last 25 years was Stan Wawrinka when he won the Australian Open in 2014 at the age of just 29. “As number two in the world rankings, I obviously have to have the goal of winning the title. And I’m going into this tournament with that goal.”
To win one of the four major tournaments and become number one in the world rankings – Zverev repeats this goal like a mantra. He will need help for both goals. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two players who need to be defeated. If the two of them play their best tennis, it looks like Zverev won’t be able to win a Grand Slam these days. In this edition of the Australian Open, Zverev will probably have to get past both of them to win the tournament.
Alexander Zverev gestures during a press conference before the Australian Open.
Sinner is currently in a different league
The task no longer seems as big as it did a few years ago, when in extreme cases it took victories against Djokovic, Nadal and Federer to achieve one of the major titles. But the South Tyrolean Sinner and the Spaniard Alcaraz have obviously staked out their claims and the Grand Slams in 2024. Sinner in particular seems to be playing in a league of his own at the moment. His lead over Zverev in the world rankings is more than four thousand points.
Sportschau, January 9th, 2025 1:51 p.m
The fact that this lead would be lost if Sinner were to be banned by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) because of his two positive doping tests from April 2024 (the verdict is expected in the first quarter of 2025) is not a good prospect for Zverev: “I want to be No. 1 because I’m the best player in the world, because I feel like I deserve it and because I’ve won the biggest tournaments in the world and beaten the best players.”
If he beats the best players in the world here in Melbourne, the answer to winning a Grand Slam would no longer be in the stars.