Alexander Zverev made a mistake last year which he will not repeat in 2026, ‘I have to’

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Alexander Zverev has advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open for a third consecutive year.

Zverev reached the Australian Open final for the first time last year, where he was beaten in straight sets by Jannik Sinner.

The world number three was looking to go one better in Melbourne this year, but doubts started to creep in after Zverev was handed a difficult Australian Open draw.

Despite this, Zverev has just beaten Learner Tien to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open again, and he has now revealed the mistake he made last year, which he will not do again.

Alexander Zverev admits the mistake he made in 2025

After reaching the final of the Australian Open last year, Zverev struggled to find the same kind of form and only won one title all year at the ATP 250 tournament in Munich.

This was seemingly partly down to Zverev having some physical struggles, particularly in the latter stages of the year.

These injury issues were raised in his post-match press conference after beating Tien, where Zverev was asked if he would consider playing less events like both Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner have done.

Zverev played eight more tournaments than Alcaraz in 2025, and 14 more than Sinner, who faced a three-month ban, and he has now admitted that he wants to schedule his season better this year.

“Yeah, but they’re making $50 million a year (laughter). We’re not all Carlos and Jannik,” joked Zverev. “I’m not complaining at all about my life. I’m very happy with my bank account as well, I’m not saying that, but it’s a bit different also.

“Roger [Federer], at some point at the end of his career was playing, like, maybe ten events a year. Novak [Djokovic] now is playing ten events a year. It’s very different.

“But, yeah, I think I will have to adjust. I mean, last year my schedule was crazy, especially in the beginning of the year. I mean, I love South America. I really do. I love the countries. I love the experience of being there. But it was probably not a smart decision on maybe going to Buenos Aires, right. Maybe I should have skipped that and maybe went to Rio.

“Then going straight to Acapulco, straight to Indian Wells, it was a lot in a row, especially after the finals run here. That’s when kind of my issues started, because I was mentally tired, and then if you are mentally tired, your injuries start as well.

“I have to, yeah, be better in that way. I have to schedule better. My schedule looks very different this year after the Australian Open. So it’s a learning process. It’s also learning that your body is maybe getting a bit older. It’s maybe getting a bit more fatigued through matches. All in all, right now I want to focus on here and play my best tennis the next two matches.”

Alexander Zverev reveals if he feels more pressure in the latter stages of Grand Slams

Zverev is familiar with being in the latter stages of Grand Slams, but he is still yet to get his hands on the title.

This has included Zverev losing three Grand Slam finals, and he was asked if he feels more pressure at this stage of a major.

However, Zverev actually suggested that he feels more pressure at the start of Grand Slam tournaments.

“Well, actually I feel like maybe top players feel the most pressure in the beginning (smiling), you know, not have an early exit,” responded Zverev.

“Now, whoever I’m going to play in the semis, Carlos or Alex [de Minaur], they’re great players. You just are looking forward to a fantastic match. That’s what you are looking forward to.

“Of course, in my case, yeah, I’m still chasing that desired slam. Of course, I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I’m doing that, and that’s the most important thing for me.”

Alcaraz will be the semifinal opponent for Zverev, after the Spaniard beat Alex de Minaur in straight sets.

This will be a 13th meeting between Alcaraz and Zverev, with the head-to-head tied at six wins apiece.

Alcaraz won their most recent match, but Zverev has the bragging rights of beating the world number one when they played at the Australian Open two years ago.