Since he took his first steps on the professional tour, most coaches and insiders were convinced that it wouldn’t be long before Sascha would win his first Grand Slam title.
The German star has played several finals in major tournaments (one at the Australian Open, one at Roland Garros and one at the US Open), but was always defeated. The Hamburg champion looked set to finally break this curse in early 2025 when he reached the final act in Melbourne with tremendous authority, but his dreams were shattered in front of former world number 1 Jannik Sinner, who took him down at the iconic Rod Laver Arena.
The former world number 2 has repeatedly reiterated that that loss had a very negative impact on his mental toughness and the performances he unleashed in the following months confirmed this feeling.
Sascha still receives criticism
Alexander ended the year with just one title won, the Munich ATP 250, and also disappointed expectations at the other three Slams as well as at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The collective feeling is that 2026 will be a decisive year for his future as the dominance of Carlitos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner shows no signs of waning.
In the latest edition of his famous podcast, former world champion Andy Roddick highlighted how Sascha deserves more respect: “I’m sorry that his entire career is only judged in relation to Grand Slam tournaments. He is an extraordinary player, who has already had an incredible career and can still improve. People judge a lot about his game, but maybe they don’t understand that it is not that simple. His backhand is really great, while his forehand and net play can be improved.”
Zverev will have to defend several points in Australia next month.
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