Alexander Zverev told he has taken a ‘big step away’ from winning a Grand Slam after defeat to Jannik Sinner

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Alexander Zverev suffered a heavy defeat to Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Madrid Open final.

Sinner beat Zverev in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to claim a maiden Madrid crown and a fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

The Italian made history by becoming the first player to secure five straight titles at the premium level since the format’s inception.

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Zverev had no answer for Sinner, and has now lost a ninth match in a row against the world number one, having not beaten him since 2023.

The German was nowhere near his best, and former British player Colin Fleming suggested his chances of clinching a first major crown have just decreased.

Colin Fleming reacts to Alexander Zverev’s defeat in Madrid

Speaking on Sky Sports, Fleming said: “I feel a bit gutted for Zverev in a way. As good as Sinner was, Zverev just didn’t perform.

“It’s strange in a way because the first point of the match was one of Zverev’s best points. I thought he was up for this today. He pinned him in the backhand corner.

“Then he lost the next four points and then played a really poor first service game and got broken and I honestly felt the match was over.

“At 2-0 in the first set he looked completely deflated. His main driver is to win a Grand Slam and unfortunately for Zverev it felt looked like he took a big step further away from that today and that is going to be pretty tough for him to come to terms with.”

Alexander Zverev matches unwanted record from 2007

Sinner’s consecutive win tally of nine against Zverev is the joint-most against a fellow top five opponent ever.

The only player with as many is Roger Federer, who beat Andy Roddick nine times in a row from 2003 to 2007.

Zverev’s last victory over Sinner was in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open, which he won in five sets.

Sinner has not dropped a set against Zverev in six matches, with the last one conceded in the 2025 Vienna final