Alexander Zverev Makes Brutal Admission About Form Issues, Says He Can’t Reach Reach Every Final Like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Alexander Zverev is bidding to win his second title of the season following the BMW Open he won by beating Ben Shelton.

Alexander Zverev Makes Brutal Admission About Form Issues, Says He Can’t Reach Reach Every Final Like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev (Image via X/NewsMobile, The Tennis Podcast)

Alexander Zverev has started his bid for his first Grand Slam title. On May 27th, he went past last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Learner Tien in straight sets.

He is one of those talented tennis players who hasn’t yet tasted success in Grand Slam events. Thrice he has reached the final (since 2024, he made it to two finals). It was him who World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz overcame in five sets to win his first French Open last year, and it was him who World No.1 Jannik Sinner defeated without breaking a sweat in this year’s Australian Open.

After his first-round win in Paris, Zverev reflected on his inconsistent start to the season. He kick-started his campaign for the 2025 season by reaching the Australian Open final. What followed next was a string of poor results.

He failed to win more than two matches in the next six tournaments before ending his trophy drought at his home tournament, the BMW Open. Sascha then lost three tournaments on the trot without making it to the semifinals, including at the Italian Open where he was playing as a defending champion.

I have ups and downs. I’m not a Novak Djokovic. I’m not a Rafa Nadal who’s gonna win or make finals of every tournament. My highs are very high, I’ve realized that. But my lows are lower than other players and other top guys. I’ve come to terms with that as well. That’s just how my tennis is. That’s maybe who I am in a way. I’m just hoping that my highs will maybe be higher than everyone else’s the next two weeks.

Alexander Zverev said at the press conference

He entered the French Open after his defeat to Frenchman Alexandre Muller in the Hamburg Open. Zverev, however, was not disappointed to lose in the round of 16 as before that match, he “threw up 37 times“, so he was proud of his performance.

Zverev will next be locking horns with Dutchman Jesper de Jong against whom, he holds a 1-0 head-to-head record. The tournament where they met was the 2024 Hamburg Open which Zverev later won by beating Arthur Fils. Before setting up the clash with the German ace, the World No.88 overcame Francesco Passaro in five sets.

Alexander Zverev is confident about his chances at the Roland Garros

Alexander Zverev has a 203-85 win-loss record on clay. He is a 25-time singles winner, nine of those titles he lifted on clay.

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

Zverev has consistently performed at the French Open as before the 2024 season, he progressed to multiple quarterfinals and semifinals. At the press conference after his first-round win, Zverev expressed confidence in his physical abilities to make a deep run in the tournament.

The reasons for my good historical performance here are physical. I have a lot of confidence in my athletic prowess and my ability to endure efforts for a long time. This tournament is the most demanding physically, due to the clay courts and five sets. There have been many occasions where I have been two sets down or one set behind and ended up winning.

Alexander Zverev said

But before reaching consecutive finals in the clay-court Major, the three-time Grand Slam finalist could run into 24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. If he is successful in upsetting the Serb, he could face the next challenge in the form of Jannik Sinner.

In the final, there could be a rematch of last year’s French Open final between Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev edges the four-time Grand Slam champion 6-5 in the head-to-head matchups.

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