The 21-year-old German is ranked no.4 in the world and just beat two of the top players to win the biggest title of his career. What else does Alexander Zverev have to do? The answer is clear, Zverev needs a Grand Slam trophy.
World no.1?
Tennis is a single-minded game. Although the season is a grueling 11 months and hundreds of tournaments, the path to number one is the 4 Grand Slams. Zverev is proof that winning a lot is nice, but the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon or the U.S Open are the championships that propel a player to the top.
Sascha’s records outside the slams
Zverev has over 50 victories this year leading the ATP tour and three titles including the Madrid Masters. He joined Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Murray as active players with three or more ATP Masters 1000 titles and the first player since Cilic in 2014 to reach three tour-level finals in as many weeks. Zverev became the eighth man in the Open Era to win three consecutive 5-set matches at Roland Garros.
Time for a slam?
The hang-up has been the Slams where Zverev has not advanced beyond the quarter round. “You know, kind of solidifying that I am a top 5 player this year, and obviously with Novak coming back, winning two Grand Slams, and other players like Del Potro playing great again, it was a much tougher year, for sure, but I feel like I’m a better player,” Zverev Said.
The time is now for Zverev to make a serious move in a Grand Slam. The Big Four has been whittled down to just Djokovic who has become dominant again. Federer has lost a step, Nadal and Murray’s injuries have sidelined them.
And if Ivan Lendl can do what he accomplished with Andy Murray, Zverev has the tools and the game to win one of the slams but don’t expect Djokovic to step aside. The number one Serbian is chasing Federer and Nadal’s Grand Slam totals and appears to be in prime form to gain ground.
and Becker said…
Another German tennis legend Boris Becker said about Zverev, “You won’t win by waiting for an opponent to make a mistake. Djokovic and Federer are too big stars to do that. He needs to understand the only way forward is doing the right thing, even though you don’t win every point, but come forward. It’s the right step to take.”
TIME TO MAKE A MOVE?
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