For years, Alexander Zverev has been plagued by the stigma of never having won a Grand Slam tournament. At the French Open he could change that, for real this time.
Alexander Zverev is too much of a sportsman to be happy about Jannik Sinner’s break-in. The world number one, unbeatable in recent months, was overwhelmed by his own body in the second round. After a 6:3, 6:2, 5:1 lead, he collapsed completely and lost to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Zverev became the biggest favorite for the title at the French Open.
The density of serious contenders for men’s triumph at Grand Slam tournaments is now very thin and actually only consists of two players – none of them named Zverev. Since the US Open 2023, no one other than Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has won one of the four biggest tennis events, “Sincaraz” dominate the sport in a double pack. Their finale in Paris last year will remain unforgettable, but there will be no repeat. For neither of them.
No Alcaraz and Zverev final opponent Sinner is outside
Sinner is out and Alcaraz had to cancel his participation (as well as Wimbledon) due to a persistent injury. So we’re looking “the best of the rest” – and that’s actually Zverev. This year in particular, the German tennis star presented himself in improved form, he adapted his game and is now acting much more offensively. Zverev marched in many tournaments – until he met Sinner.
Despite all his class, the Italian was always too strong, four times this season alone, in three semi-finals and one final. In total, the 29-year-old lost nine times in a row to the world number one. Zverev doesn’t have to worry about that, but theoretically the path to his first Grand Slam title of his career is clear. At least significantly freer than before the drama about Sinner.
Top players like Jodar and Djokovic are still there
But: There are still very big hurdles ahead, especially towards the final. The Spanish shooting star Rafael Jodar could be an opponent in a possible quarter-final, after that it could be Novak Djokovic, other top players like Alex di Minaur would also be possibilities. Zverev’s lower half is now much better occupied, in the upper half there are also top-seeded professionals like Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton, but the Parisian clay is far from their favorite surface.
Rafael Jodar during a match at the French Open
Whether he likes it or not, Zverev is now number one in the tournament. However, this also creates a toxic mix of: ‘If he doesn’t win now, he’ll never win’ and ‘Great, he only won because Alcaraz and Sinner weren’t there’ if he wins the title. That’s why Zverev only has one job: hide everything. The German, seeded number two, shouldn’t be interested in who is still in the tournament, only the next opponent is important.
Zverev: “Not as the greatest player without Grand Slam title end”
What sounds so simple is difficult to do because Zverev will be confronted with all the circumstances after his third round game on Saturday against Quentin Halys (France) at the latest – if he wins it. And the constant thought of how longingly he is waiting to win a Grand Slam tournament will certainly not become any less present now. Zverev has often revealed how much this concerns him, and he makes no secret of it.
Alexander Zverev is comforted by Jannik Sinner after the Australian Open final
After the best German tennis player for a long time clearly lost the final of the Australian Open against Sinner at the beginning of 2025, he said, for example: “I don’t want to end my career as one of the greatest players of all time without a Grand Slam title – that’s for sure. I will continue to do everything I can to win these kinds of trophies.” At the French Open the chance is greater than ever, Paris has rolled out the red carpet for him.
