Alexander Zverev Explains the Benefits Attained from the Toronto Courts After Making the Canadian Open Semifinal

At the Canadian Open semifinal, Alexander Zverev will face Karen Khachanov, who he defeated in straight sets in the Tokyo Olympics final.

Alexander Zverev Explains the Benefits Attained from the Toronto Courts After Making the Canadian Open Semifinal

Alexander Zverev (image via National Bank Open)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Alexander Zverev has made it to his first Masters 1000 semifinal of the season at the Canadian Open. The top seed came back from a set down to defeat defending champion Alexei Popyrin and reach his 75th tour-level semifinal. Zverev, was quite good on his first serve in the match, hitting 12 aces and winning 82% of first-serve points.

After a rough season, Zverev’s training with Rafael and Toni Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, seems to be paying off. Following his quarterfinal win, the German spoke at the press-conference about why the Toronto court benefits his tennis:

Look, it’s a fast court, and the balls are fast too. I know that benefits me, but I needed time to adapt and feel the ball well on my racket. I am now achieving that, and I am convinced that I will play even better in the semifinals. Having had a month’s rest after my defeat at Wimbledon has been key to arriving here in good shape. I rested for a whole week and then had a good training block, and it shows.

Interestingly, despite his preference for the Toronto court, Zverev was a champion in this tournament back in 2017 when the event was held in Montreal. He defeated Roger Federer in straight sets in the final.

This year he’ll face eleventh seed Karen Khachanov in the semifinals. Zverev has reached many remarkable milestones throughout his run in Toronto. He became the first man born in 1990 or later to register 500 tour-level wins also claimed a 155th ATP 1000 level match win, equaling Grigor Dimitrov for the most of any player born since 1990.

Alexander Zverev’s upcoming semifinal

Alexander Zverev has a 5-2 head-to-head record over his upcoming opponent Karen Khachanov having won their last three meetings. Their biggest encounter took place four years ago at the Tokyo Olympics final where Zverev defeated Khachanov in straight sets. They have also faced each other before at the Canadian Open in 2019 where the Russian defeated Zverev in straight sets in the quarterfinal.

Alexander Zverev Canadian Open 2025
Alexander Zverev (image via X/Tennis World USA)

Khachanov has had a good run in Toronto, including a straight-set victory over Casper Ruud in the fourth-round. With an all-American semifinal featuring Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, this event will mark a new Masters 1000 champion for the season. In this tournament, Zverev will be aiming for his eighth Masters 1000 title.

Alexander Zverev will participate in the Six King Slams

On Wednesday, the announcement for the 2025 edition of the Six King Slams exhibition tournament was made. The event which made its debut last year, will take place between October 15 and 18 this year at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Albeit not counting towards the ATP ranking, the tournament distributes the highest prize money in the history of the sport.

Jannik-Sinner-Carlos-Alcaraz-Six-Kings-Slam
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after their Six Kings Slam final (Image via Reuters)

Last year, Jannik Sinner pocketed six million dollars after winning the final – a figure higher than any Grand Slam. Currently the largest prize purse offered to a Grand Slam singles champion is five million dollars, announced recently by the US Open.

The inaugural edition of Six King Slams, also included Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev. This year the lineup includes Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper. Each of them is guaranteed 1.5 million dollars just for participating.

Also Read: (Video) Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Face Each Other for 1st Time Since Their Wimbledon Clash