Alexander Zverev keeps himself near the top of the ATP rankings, and he has even had a chance to reach No. 1, but if he ever gets to that level, he probably won't hang on to the ranking long. The German simply cannot win the four biggest tournaments on the tennis calendar.
At his best, he should be able to put himself into a position to take titles at Grand Slams because he is capable of having a thunderous and metronomic serve. He moves around the court well and has one of the best backhands in the sport.
But he seemingly lacks the one skill that might be most important of all: In terms of keeping his poise and composure when matches are at their tightest, he struggles. He rarely takes out his emotions on fellow players, but often gets angry at himself. Any player is capable of this, but the best, like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, rarely do.
Alexander Zverev loses his temper during United Cup loss to Hubert Hurkacz
Playing in his season-opening match at the United Cup, Zverev and his German team swept through the Netherlands with three straight wins. The problems started when the ATP No. 3 played Hubert Hurkacz of Team Poland.
Hurkacz has a match-altering ability to serve, but he also hasn't played since June 2025, as he struggled with a knee injury. Expecting a rusty Hurkacz to defeat the German might have seemed foolish, but the Pole's booming serve kept the German off-balance. So much that Alexander Zverev's anger began to boil over.
During the first set, which Zverev lost 3-6, the German told his father (who is also his coach) during a changeover, "(Hurkacz) hasn’t played for two f****** years, and he’s serving at 230 km/h (143 mph). In the evening, when it’s cold, f***, it’s f****** crazy. The guy can barely f****** walk, and he’s serving."
To be sure, Zverev was landing more of his first serves, but the Pole was winning a lot more of his own first serve points. For the match, Hubert Hurkacz had 21 aces, while Alexander Zverev had seven. Neither double-faulted.
Hurkacz also faced just one break point, which he fought off. He was able to break the German once in each set, which led to the 6-3 6-4 victory.
In the second set, Zverev had a moment of a complete meltdown, throwing his racket on the court and breaking the frame. It was the kind of lack of composure that has hurt the German in majors, and will likely continue to do so.