Alexander Zverev’s Brother Takes Brutal Dig at Critics Downplaying His Grand Slam Wins: “Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Were Not Strong Enough”

World No.2 Alexander Zverev is now the winner of two Grand Slam titles. But there have been debates about whether Sascha would have won these titles had both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner been part of the draw, or had he competed against one of them.

Alcaraz did not play in Paris or Wimbledon as he recovered from a wrist injury. Sinner suffered a physical collapse in the second round of the French Open but went on to defend his title at Wimbledon, denying Zverev the Channel Slam. Zverev took home his career’s first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros after a five-set thriller against Flavio Cobolli.

That Wimbledon final loss was Zverev’s 10th straight defeat to the five-time Grand Slam champion. Zverev trails 4-11 in the head-to-head matchups versus Sinner, while against Alcaraz, he trails 6-7.

Alcaraz stopped Zverev from reaching his career’s second Australian Open final by defeating him in a grueling five-set semifinal, then beat Novak Djokovic in the final to become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. This only showed that whenever Zverev faced Sinner or Alcaraz, the results did not end in his favor.

And this is what the critics have been saying, downplaying his two successful runs, only to get a brutal response from Zverev’s brother and coach, Mischa Zverev. Mischa suggested that the reason Sinner and Alcaraz got injured is that they’re not physically stronger.

No, so what do you mean by a lack of recognition? Why weren’t they there? Because they were injured. Why do people get injured? Because they’re simply not strong enough or because they overdid it. Because they didn’t recover properly when they needed to. There’s always a reason. It wasn’t simply that they didn’t want to be there.

Mischa Zverev said during his interview with Sport1

Sinner did not play in New York due to a knee injury. Alcaraz returned to action in this event, only to lose to eventual runner-up Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals.

In that sense, you have to say: Look, Sascha is older than the other players, but he’s there, he’s fit. You have to tell these younger players: Yes, a younger engine doesn’t necessarily run better. That’s why I don’t see it as something you can downplay at all.

Mischa Zverev added

Zverev beat Shelton in four sets in the final, in what was also the sixth Grand Slam final of his career. Before this season, he had reached the Major finals in three different years.

Mischa Zverev on Alexander Zverev’s No.1 ranking goal

Alexander Zverev has played four finals so far this season. Apart from the three Major finals, he played the title clash of the Madrid Open, where Jannik Sinner denied him the title.

Thanks to Zverev’s two Grand Slam wins, he is now 1,810 points behind World No.1 Sinner. This is a great opportunity for Zverev to dethrone Sinner from the top. Reacting to his No.1 chances, Mischa, during that interview with Sport1, said:

There are many goals in life. But yes, on paper, that would be a goal that could still be achieved… Unfortunately, you never know [when Zverev will become No.1]. But the chance is there. We’re working towards it, and we’ll see what happens. 

Zverev, who recently played Germany’s Davis Cup tie against Croatia, will next be seen in action at the Laver Cup, after which he will compete at the China Open, where Sinner will be bidding to defend his title. Last year, the 25-year-old defeated Learner Tien.

Also read: Patrick Mouratoglou Tells Aryna Sabalenka What Is ‘Preventing’ Her From Winning More Grand Slam Titles