He's entered Rome, conquered Rome, and departed Rome with two titles, and he's about to battle for a third. It may not be a battle equivalent of ancient past times, but the Italian Open offers its version, and Alexander Zverev has come out on top twice before, including winning the prize last year.
The ATP world No. 2-ranked German comes to Rome on the heels of winning the BMW Open in Munich, Germany, two weeks ago, defeating Ben Shelton for the title. Now headed to Rome, Zverev will defend his title, which he also won in 2017. Zverev holds seven Masters 1000 titles, and a third in Italy isn't out of the question.
With a congested field of top-ranked players and stiff opponents, Zverev's bid to triple his Rome conquests will be a tall task, but his winning experience there and recent clay-court win in Munich could aid him significantly.
Alexander Zverev's first title of the season aligns perfectly with a title defense
Defending any title at any Masters 1000 event is never easy. For Zverev, the 2025 season hasn't been easy, to say the least. Zverev began the year with an appearance in the Australian Open finals but fell to Jannik Sinner. It was a straight-set loss, and the disappointment was heavy on Zverev.
In several events following Australia, Zverev bowed out early numerous times until his win in Munich. With the French Open on the horizon, Zverev is expected to compete once again, and like he reached the finals last year, he will try to repeat that same result.
However, along the path to Roland Garros stands Rome and his defense of it. Last year, Zverev defeated Nicolas Jarry to capture his second Italian Open title. This year, he could once again cross paths with his '24 French Open conqueror, Carlos Alcaraz. Both men are seeded in the bottom half of the tournament draw.
If Alcaraz indeed stands in the way of Zverev repeating as champion, the good news is that despite last year's French Open loss, Zverev holds a narrow 6-5 head-to-head record over Alcaraz. We're itching to find out whether that record means anything in Rome.