Alexander Zverev Reveals Toughest Opponent of His Career, and He’s Not Jannik Sinner

Alexander Zverev tasted Grand Slam glory for the first time in his career this season. At the French Open, Sascha overcame Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in five sets and ended the Carlos Alcaraz–Jannik Sinner duopoly in Majors.

Zverev, however, couldn’t achieve the Channel Slam. He reached the Wimbledon final and took the first set off Sinner, but the Italian ace bounced back and ended the match in his favor, defending his title.

Even though it was Zverev’s 10th consecutive defeat at the hands of Sinner, the five-time Grand Slam champion is not his toughest rival. During his interview with Knossi, Zverev revealed the toughest opponent of his career is none other than Novak Djokovic.

The toughest opponent I have faced is Djokovic. In reality, I have had a good balance against Roger Federer, although I also lost many matches, and there were days when you couldn’t defeat him. But overall, he played very fast, and I had the ability to play faster than him, which he didn’t like, I knew that. I had a strategy against him that I knew worked.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion holds a 9-5 head-to-head record over Zverev. Djokovic won their last meeting, in the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open.

Both Zverev and Djokovic were last seen in action at the All England Club. Before beating Zverev in the final, Sinner clinched a straight-set win over the 39-year-old in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev prefers playing against Carlos Alcaraz rather than Jannik Sinner

Alexander Zverev trails 4-11 in the head-to-head matchups against Jannik Sinner, against whom he doesn’t enjoy playing. During that interview with Knossi, Zverev explained why he prefers playing against Carlos Alcaraz over Sinner.

I really enjoyed playing against Sinner at the beginning of my career, and now, in the last 7 or 8 matches, I have lost. He has significantly improved his game, is very consistent, and doesn’t give you anything for free. Now, you feel as though you are playing catch-up the whole time during the match.

Alexander Zverev added

The seven-time Grand Slam champion holds a 7-6 head-to-head edge over the reigning French Open champion, winning their last two matches, including in the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open.

I enjoy playing against Alcaraz a lot. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win, but with him, the matches are always incredible. We always have incredible matches, tough battles, like this year in Australia, where we played for 5 hours and 30 minutes, and in the end, I lost, but it is very fun to play against him.

Alexander Zverev added

The North American swing is underway, but the top three players aren’t competing. Zverev will next be playing in Montreal at the Canadian Open, which Sinner and Alcaraz skipped.

The Spaniard, who injured his wrist during the Barcelona Open, will be making his comeback at the Cincinnati Masters, where last year, he received a walkover from Sinner. Alcaraz has already featured in three finals, including at the Australian Open, where he became the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam by securing a four-set win over Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has lifted the most on the men’s tour so far, having played six finals, winning all. These six wins came in big events (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, and Wimbledon).

Sinner will also be returning to the tour in Cincinnati. Because he will be skipping the Canadian Open, he has missed a chance to bid for the Golden Masters, prioritizing rest and recovery before the US Open. Sinner, after winning the first five Masters 1000s of the season, suffered physical setbacks during the French Open, losing his second-round match in five sets.

Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Shocks Fans With Bold Braided Hairstyle Ahead of Potential Comeback