Alexander Zverev was beaten by Jannik Sinner in his latest match at the ATP Finals and now faces a fight to remain in the tournament.
The German player has to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime to qualify for the last four, and failure to do so would see him dumped out of the competition.
Zverev hailed Sinner after his latest defeat, and the Italian – along with Carlos Alcaraz – remains the player to beat at any big tournament.
Zverev has been battling an ankle injury in the final weeks of the season, and he will hope that it can hold up for a few more matches.
The 28-year-old is the man closest to Alcaraz and Sinner in the world rankings, and now he’s shared how he can try to get even closer to the dominant pair.
Alexander Zverev shares what he needs to do in order to compete with Jannik Sinner
This season has been a tough one for Zverev, with a final achieved at the Australian Open and then a torrid run at the other Grand Slams occurring.
Having lost in multiple Grand Slam finals, the question of whether Zverev can ever win a Grand Slam is so often rife among tennis fans.
After losing to Sinner again, Zverev has been asked what he can do in order to close the gap and he’s issued a resounding verdict.
He said in his press conference: “Number one is to stay healthy and injury-free. This year was a nightmare for me, injury-wise. All the time, I had something. It was difficult for me to improve when I always had to try to get healthy. This is the number one thing.
“Look, of course I think it’s quite easy for you guys to ask these questions because the score says 6-4, 6-3. If you look deeper into the match, I really believe that it could have been more than 6-4, 6-3, so…”
Should Alexander Zverev get a new coach?
Zverev needs a big 2026 to silence his doubters
After reaching the final in Melbourne to start the year, many anticipated this might be the year when Zverev got over the line.
However, his form has been patchy at best at the other Grand Slam events, and he’s not really come close to getting a big title to his name this year.
Naturally, that has got more people doubting his credentials, and 2026 is going to be a huge year for the German performer.
Zverev is a capable player, but with the more setbacks he endures, the harder it will be for him to get over the line and finally lift that elusive Grand Slam title.
Sinner and Alcaraz are certainly not helping things, but as the number three in the world rankings, Zverev now has to prove that he’s the best-placed player to start pinching majors from their grasp.
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