Zverev aims to move past ‘third man’ tennis mark to close gap on Sinner and Alcaraz

Alexander Zverev believes he is closer than ever to challenging Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz after reaching his first Wimbledon final, with the German confident his new attacking style has put him in contention to consistently compete for tennis’ biggest titles.

The 29-year-old player will still rise to world number two in the ATP rankings on Monday lost 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 to Sinner in Sunday’s Wimbledon final. More importantly, the run capped a breakthrough weeks after Zverev won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open, marking the most successful spell of his career.

For years, Zverev was considered a player just behind Sinner and Alcaraz. Now he believes the gap has narrowed significantly.

“There’s always been this conversation, who’s going to be the third guy?” said Zverev after the final.

Zverev says Jannik Sinner is the best player in the world and there are only 3 players who can challenge him: “I think I challenged him today, not enough because I’m still sitting here like a loser.”

“The match with Jannik has historically not developed the way you want, pic.twitter.com/m4VXPWEelR— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 12, 2026

“I’ve always been the No. 3 guy, but I’ve just been a long way from those two. I’ve always been No. 3 in a way. So if I can get close to them, if I can be in the mix and compete and win big tournaments, that would be great.”

A NEW SUCCESS IN AN ATTACKING RIDING STYLE

Zverev’s transformation has been built around a more aggressive brand of tennis, something he committed to at the start of the season despite mixed early results.

Instead of relying primarily on his baseline consistency, the German looked to dictate points with his forehand and take more risks whenever the opportunity presented itself.

“I said it at the beginning of the year and I stuck to it. This is the tennis I want to play. This is the style of play I want to play,” Zverev said.

Highlights from the 2026 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final

“There were games at the beginning of the year where I struggled a little bit more with that style, but I did it consistently. The more I do it, the better I’ll get.

“I won a Grand Slam in Paris for the first time in my career. I reached the final here for the first time in my career. Of course, something has to work.”

The improvement was especially noticeable on grass, a surface where Zverev had never advanced past the fourth round at Wimbledon before this year. Against Sinner, he landed almost 80 per cent of his first serve for most of the final, using his forehand repeatedly to put the world number one under pressure.

“When I have the opportunity, I hit it,” Zverev said.

“Whether I make it or not, it depends on the day. But I’m definitely going to go for it. That’s my goal, that’s my goal for this year, that’s my goal, hopefully, for the rest of my career.”

CLOSING THE GAP ON SINNER AND ALCARAZ

Although Sunday’s defeat extended Zverev’s losing streak against Sinner to 10 matches, the German believes the match showed he can now match the sport’s dominant players in five sets.

After winning the opening set, Zverev snapped a 14-set streak with Sinner and pressured the Italian throughout the match before the momentum changed in the third set.

“I think I pushed those guys. I didn’t beat them this year, but I pushed them to the limit,” Zverev said.

“Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik here. Even though it was four sets, I think it was a very close four sets that could have been five.”

His confidence is supported by his recent results. Zverev took Alcaraz to five sets in the Australian Open semi-finals before winning Roland Garros and following it up with his best-ever Wimbledon campaign.

THE KNEE SLIDE FINALLY PROVES HARD

Zverev believes a slip midway through the third set played a decisive role in the outcome of Sunday’s final.

The German fell awkwardly chasing the ball in his only break of the match and immediately clutched his right knee, with Sinner crossing the net to check on his opponent before helping him back to his feet.

“I sprained my knee again, similar to two years ago. I had trouble pushing back on my serve a little bit. So my serve speed went down,” Zverev said.

“But everything else was going well. I was moving well from the baseline and playing well from the baseline.”

And he added: “I think the fall didn’t help me in the third set. My level dropped a bit. But then I picked it up again in the fourth. Overall I thought it was pretty high throughout.”

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

13 Jul 2026 09:06 IST