Alexander Zverev Aims to Reach Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Level by Pushing to the Limits

Alexander Zverev has been to nine Grand Slam semi-finals and three finals but has failed to claim the title.

Alexander Zverev Aims to Reach Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Level by Pushing to the Limits

Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Images via X)

Alexander Zverev is not wasting any time after witnessing Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s Roland Garros final showdown. The World No.3 is currently at the Stuttgart Open, where he hopes to win his second title of the season. He revealed that he’s pushing his physical limits to attain the level of Alcaraz and Sinner.

Sinner and Alcaraz’s French Open final is regarded as one of the classic Grand Slam matches. The match ended in 5 hours and 29 minutes as Alcaraz came from two sets down to beat the Italian star. Both players showed jaw-dropping intensity from the start to the end of the thrilling high-level encounter.

This has made Zverev work hard on and off the court. The German star revealed at the Stuttgart Open that he’s currently undergoing a very extreme training schedule to get to the best physical conditions:

I also consider this to be an extremely tough training week. I’m pushing my physical limits, but that’s fine. I know I’m a little more tired during the matches, but that suits me too. I want to play very, very well at Wimbledon, so I have a more intense training schedule. I did an hour and a half of fitness training this morning before warming up, then I trained for an hour, played the match, trained again for an hour, and then did another hour and a half of fitness training.

The 28-year-old added that he wouldn’t go through the extreme training conditions at a Grand Slam event, but he’s focused on catching up with Alcaraz and Sinner’s physical levels ahead of the Wimbledon Championship:

This isn’t something I would do at a Grand Slam tournament either, but I need this preparation. I need it to improve certain things. We all saw the finals of Sinner and Alcaraz, and I think they’re just ahead of me right now, and I need to catch up.

Zverev has been under huge scrutiny since failing to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, where he lost to Sinner in straight sets. It was his third major tournament final in his career. At the Roland Garros, he was expected to reach the final, but he succumbed to a four-set defeat to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Tennis legend Boris Becker called on him to part ways with his father and brother after the defeat, stating that the German star needed a good coach to help him win the elusive Grand Slam. Zverev reacted to the criticism by claiming that he lost to one of the greatest players in the sport, brushing off Becker’s claims.

Alexander Zverev reached his 39th career final at the Stuttgart Open

Alexander Zverev earned a place in his third grass-court final after beating Ben Shelton 7-6(8), 7-6(1) at the Stuttgart Open. The German had previously never won more than two matches at the tournament but has now claimed three consecutive wins to seal his place in his first Stuttgart Open final. It’s also his 39th career final.

Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)
Alexander Zverev (via X/Universe tennis)

Zverev is yet to drop a set since arriving in Stuttgart. The German opened his account with a straight sets win against Corentin Moutet. He then overcame Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-4 to maintain his perfect 4-0 record against the American star before beating Shelton to seal his place in the championship match.

The World No.3 has been in stellar form in Germany this year. He has lost just one of his 11 matches in his home country. Earlier this year, he claimed his first title of the season at the BMW Open in Munich after beating Shelton in straight sets.

Zverev will now face Taylor Fritz in the final of the Stuttgart Open. The latter leads the former 7-5 in their head-to-head record and has won all their last four meetings. In fact, the last time Zverev defeated the American was at the Italian Open last year in straight sets. The Stuttgart Open final will be their first meeting in 2025.

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