Four months ago, Alexander Zverev was on the cusp of winning a Grand Slam—his first in Melbourne. Unfortunately, Jannik Sinner was too much, which many other players on tour know little about.
For Zverev, though, the finals loss in Australia included some of the best tennis he's played since the 2024 season. Presently ranked as the ATP's No. 2 player behind Sinner, Zverev has traveled through rough terrain since Australia, exiting his last three events before reaching the quarter-finals.
The German is two days from beginning his Monte-Carlo journey in France, the inaugural ATP Masters 1000 clay court event of the 2025 season. Despite his recent run of early exits, Zverev is confident in playing good tennis and hopes that he can exchange early exits in Monte-Carlo for victories.
Alexander Zverev believes he can be the favorite again
Two weeks ago, in Miami, Zverev was believed to be the favorite, at least by his measure and perspective. He would lose to the eventual tournament winner, Jakub Mensik, but even still, Zverev did not question his "favorite" status and believed he could have won Indian Wells.
He spoke to this over the weekend, including what he needs to do to fully regain his form as the year progresses, starting this week in France.
“Winning matches is the main part in order to build confidence and get into the right mindset,” Zverev said on Saturday. “I definitely need to win some matches and to play good tennis. It can change quite quickly. In Miami, I felt I was playing better than I was before, and then I woke up with a bad neck just during that day, which was a bit unlucky for me, so I was a bit restricted. But even winning that match can change quite quickly.
Pursuing winning expectations
In the crop of players expected to take over men's tennis in the post-Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic (who plays on, of course) era, Zverev was deservedly part of that crop but has yet to come through with a Grand Slam.
He has 23 titles and the status of one of the top players in the world right now. He's earned it all, and participating in the Australian Open finals was his first chance to live up to the above expectations.
Off-court issues have followed Zverev, but his play on the court has shown he has the talent, grit, and grind to win a big one. Roland Garros is still over a month away, and the clay season is about to be in full swing. Rediscovering his game in Monte-Carlo is a good place to start after a dip following Australia.
For Zverev, he needs to win some matches and let it flow from there. Starting Tuesday, he will attempt to kick up as much orange dust as possible, allowing his swing to do the talking.