Alexander Zverev Makes Controversial ‘Yacht and Ferrari’ Comment After Roland Garros Win: “I Want My Life to Be Simple”

If anyone reads what Alexander Zverev has been speaking about after his Roland Garros win, one may feel that he has already started making statements like a Grand Slam champion. Zverev, 29, wants to play for at least 10 more years simply because he loves tennis.

And now that he is finally a Major champion, Zverev feels he is on top of the world. He is confident that if he continues to perform the way he did during the two weeks in Paris, he will also fulfill his dream of becoming a World No.1 player. It’s the only milestone he has not yet achieved.

While Zverev is dreaming big tennis dreams, he wants to be a person who derives pleasure from the simplest of things in his daily life. During his interview with Esquire, Zverev said he doesn’t need material luxury to be content in his life, that his happiness revolves around his family, his daughter Mayla, his girlfriend Sophia Thomalla, and their dogs.

Off the pitch, I’m an extremely laid-back guy. I want my life to be as uncomplicated as possible. All that matters to me is the well-being of the people closest to me – my family, my daughter, Sophia, my dogs. We simply want to spend quality, carefree time together. That’s my foundation.

But his comment drew criticism, particularly from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz fans, who think Zverev tried throwing shade at the World No.1 and the World No.2.

I don’t need perfection in my daily life, and I don’t define myself by status symbols. No superyachts, no twenty Ferraris. True happiness for me is much simpler: playing a round of golf in the afternoon and then coming home to my dogs. That gives me far more than any material luxury.

Alexander Zverev added

Sinner loves cars and owns quite a few luxury ones, including a Ferrari 812 Competizione. Earlier this year, Alcaraz commissioned a customized luxury Sunreef ULTIMA 88 yacht to escape the gruelling nature of tennis. And this is why many fans have interpreted Zverev’s comment as a jibe at Alcaraz and Sinner.

Alexander Zverev says another Grand Slam final defeat would have crushed him

Before this French Open, Alexander Zverev had played three Grand Slam finals, and all ended in disappointment. At the 2020 US Open, he failed to capitalize on his two sets to love lead and eventually lost to Dominic Thiem. He lost another five-set final, this time at the 2024 French Open at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz.

Last year, he broke down in tears after losing easily in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final. During his interview with Esquire, the German admitted that another defeat in a Grand Slam final where he was the overwhelming favorite would have been devastating.

Your confidence just plummets. You’re playing a final against a player you’re the clear favorite against. The overwhelming favorite. If you lose that, you lose faith in your game. Now, on the other hand, I feel like I can win more tournaments because now I know how. That’s why the French Open was so important for me and my future.

The grass swing is underway across cities in Europe. Zverev withdrew from the Stuttgart Open, where he finished as the runner-up last year. He will start his campaign on the surface at the Halle Open, where, in the absence of Sinner, he will be competing as the first seed.

Zverev has never clinched a title on grass. At Wimbledon, which starts on June 29, Sascha will be hoping to finally advance to the quarterfinals.

Also read: Grigor Dimitrov Recalls Terrifying Injury He Suffered During Jannik Sinner Wimbledon Clash: “I Thought I had a Heart Problem”