Alexander Zverev fell to the ATP World No. 3 position in the rankings in recent months, and maybe even lower when it comes to the favorite status.
Only a couple of years ago, Zverev was incredibly close to reaching the World No. 1 rank. He was relatively close to doing that also this year after Jannik Sinner was suspended for three months, but back then, he also looked like he could be the leader on the ATP Tour in the following years.
Fast-forward to today, and there are two clear bright stars on the ATP Tour. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles, with the Italian winning four and his Spanish rival lifting three.
The rest of the Tour has been looking from afar, but that doesn't mean they don't want their share of fame and glory. Alexander Zverev is one of those players, and despite now being in the part of his career in which he is closer to retirement than to his first professional match, he still wants to challenge the best.
He saw Alcaraz and Sinner fight for the title in London, and talked to Tennis365 in the same city. The German player sent a message to the two stars, wanting to challenge them.
"Maybe it hasn’t been my best year, but I don’t think I’m as far away as some people may think. At the moment, Carlos is the kind of the star boy now. He just brings great energy to the court and along with Jannik, they are the players to beat. I just hope to spoil their party a little bit and I think I can do that."
Zverev knows what it feels like to be in the middle of a media storm after a controversy. That's why he knows that those moments often decide whether a player is liked by fans or not.
As such, the German player thinks that Alcaraz will be a very loved tennis player in the upcoming years, but that is only if the Spaniard manages to avoid controversies. So far, he has managed to do that, even though he faced some criticism after attending a bullfighting event in Spain.
"Carlos is a great guy. He is fun to be around and he always has a smile on his face. If he can avoid any controversies, he is going to be very, very loved by tennis fans."
Like in the previous editions, Zverev will be part of the Laver Cup also in 2025. During the interview, he looked back on the 2024 edition of the popular exhibition, which Team Europe managed to win, also thanks to Alcaraz securing eight out of their 13 points.
"Laver Cup was great to be a part of, and it is always a massive team effort, for sure. There are a lot of things that go into deciding which team comes out on top. The way Casper Ruud played in his doubles match on the final day of the last Laver Cup was amazing. It was probably the best doubles match I’ve ever watched from him."
"Then I came back from a set and a break down [against Frances Tiafoe] to get the win, and I was very sick during that week. I pulled out of tournaments for a few weeks after that with a lung issue. Then Carlos came on and won the final match, and it was a great weekend. It definitely was a team effort."
Soon enough, Zverev will have a chance to prove his words about wanting to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner. They will all meet at the 2025 Canadian Open in Toronto.
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