Alexander Zverev has played well at the 2024 Paris Masters, but the German is already thinking ahead to next year's Australian Open.
Zverev entered the final ATP Masters 1000 tournament of 2024 at No. 3 in the rankings. He missed out on overtaking Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 after a loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the Vienna Open quarterfinal.
The German has responded well in Paris despite having a tough draw. In the opening round, Zverev defeated Tallon Griekspoor, who pushed him to a deciding set tiebreak twice this year at the French Open and the Shanghai Masters, in straight sets.
That was followed by a tough three-set win against home favorite Arthur Fils. The Frenchman beat Zverev in the Hamburg Open final in July, and he proved to be a challenging opponent once again.
Zverev played Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinal. Despite trailing 5-10 in their head-to-head before the match, this year's French Open runner-up played superbly to 7-5, 6-4 and reach the semifinals.
Overtaking Alcaraz in the rankings is now within reach for Zverev. A victory against Holger Rune in the semifinal would be enough to guarantee moving ahead of the Spaniard when the new rankings come out next week.
However, his positive results and performances in Paris do not mean Zverev is content. He decided to practice for an hour after beating Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.
When asked why he had decided to practice after beating the Greek No. 1, Zverev answered that he was already thinking about the Australian Open and identified some areas where his opponents are superior.
"There is just a plan that I have, what I want to improve until the Australian Open. It's not about the match. It's not about today, not about yesterday, it's not to improve for tomorrow."
"For me, it's to improve for the Australian Open, and I have a few things that I feel like other players are doing better than me, and I want to improve on those things. One hour. I just finished now. I'm still in training clothes."
Some might find it surprising that Zverev is already thinking about the Australian Open. The Paris Masters and especially the ATP Finals are significant tournaments in their own right, and the Australian Open is not until January.
The German's mindset might be down to him never winning a Grand Slam. Zverev has achieved everything else in the sport, including winning the ATP Finals twice and securing an Olympic gold medal, but a Grand Slam has eluded him.
The 27-year-old came close at the French Open, losing the final to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. There have been many other similarly painful defeats for Zverev throughout his career, repeatedly denying him the chance to win one of the four Grand Slams.
Securing a major title is the one thing left for him to achieve, which makes his focus on the Australian Open title understandable. Whether Zverev's plan works remains to be seen.