Roger Federer thinks that Alexander Zverev must change his approach if he wants to win a Grand Slam, as he’s currently too passive in the way he’s playing.
Zverev came into tennis as a passive player, with his entire style based on sitting back behind the baseline and absorbing the power coming towards him. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that approach, it’s not the most effective in certain cases.
It’s become less effective over the past couple of years as the vast majority of players are shifting to a more aggressive style of playing. Players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner almost never play passively, and it’s no wonder they split this year’s four Grand Slams.
Alcaraz won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while Sinner won the Australian Open and the US Open. Zverev is aware of this and has been playing more aggressively this year compared to previous years.
It’s worked out quite well, but in the most decisive moments, he still reverts to his comfort zone – the defensive side. Federer wants to see that change, as he believes the key to winning a Grand Slam for Zverev is to become an even more aggressive player who will dictate points, especially crucial ones.
"When I watch him play, I see someone who plays far too passively, far too defensively in the decisive moments. Against the best players in the world you have to take the initiative and play offensively. He didn't do that against Fritz."
"There's not much missing. But to win a Grand Slam you have to trust your shots and play more offensively. He has to believe in this path. Every cell in your body has to feel that this is the only right way. The title doesn't just come to you, especially not the first one."
Zverev is fully aware of what went wrong against Taylor Fritz. He spoke about it after the match, noting that he didn't play how he wanted to. To beat Fritz and players like Alcaraz and Fritz, the German has to step in and attack to put a lot of pressure on them.
He didn't do that against Fritz, and he didn't do that against Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final either. Zverev was even asked about Federer's comments ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup, and he didn't really find anything wrong with that.
He even agreed with them, and that shouldn't be a huge surprise. The German player grew up idolizing Federer; obviously, he respects what he says. After all, tennis is a fairly simple sport in theory, and most of the time, it's all about execution. Zverev didn't do that so far, but he can change it for future matches.
"That's nothing I don't know. It's absolutely clear to me that I didn't play the way I want to play. That was a terrible game from me. That's why it's completely okay what Roger said."