Alexander Zverev is a very good tennis player, but is he truly great? What does it take to define one as great? Should they win a Grand Slam to be so, or possibly being the best player to never win a major allow one to be called that moniker, ranking along the best of his contemporaries, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
The answer to how to categorize the German wasn't going to be defined by his third-round match at the Madrid Masters against Terence Atmane. The problem wasn't with Zverev but with his opponent. Atmane has had a decent 2026, but he is never going to be included among the best of his age. Zverev should beat him.
And the ATP No. 3 did just that. The German took advantage of his chances to break, getting one in the first set to take that 6-3, and then one midway through set two, and the outcome, if there was any doubt, was seemingly decided. Atmane appeared incapable of coming back on a clay court against Zverev.
Alexander Zverev overcomes Terence Atmane at the Madrid Masters
The issue for the Frenchman was that he wasn't even playing poorly; he just had nowhere near the upside of the German through most of the match.
In the first set, Atmane had six winners and nine unforced errors. He landed 63 percent of his first serves. That is good enough to beat many players, but Zverev had eight winners and just four unforced errors. He won 92 percent of his first serves, losing only a point when he landed it.
The second set mirrored the first until it was 5-3, with neither player truly raising the form or dipping. Zverev continued to push Atmane on his serve, though he did seem to suddenly struggle with a twinge in his back.
That might have had something to do with the most shocking part of the match. Serving to move on at 5-3, Atmane broke Zverev with relative ease. Atmane then held and finished his hold with a low shot that the German appeared to struggle getting low enough to try to return with his back problem.
Each player kept holding to force a tie-break, one that Zverev dominated 7-2. All the momentum that Atmane had built was suddenly gone. The German's high-end skills had won out.
The question moving forward is whether Zverev can stay healthy and get his first title of the year in Madrid. To do so, he will likely have to defeat Jannik Sinner in the final. Both still have to earn their way to get there, but the rest of the field isn't as good as they are when they are in top form. Zverev will most likely be asked about his back after the match, though.
Alexander Zverev will next play the winner of the Karen Khachanov and Jakub Mensik match in the round of 16. The second-seed will be the favorite, though he could have a tougher match than what Atmane gave him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google