Alexander Zverev suffered yet more Grand Slam heartache after losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.
John Isner thinks Zverev could win the French Open, with the German having also lost a final there in 2024.
Zverev lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros last year, having also been beaten by Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final.
Novak Djokovic thinks Zverev can win a Grand Slam, but another opportunity has now been missed by the world number two.
World number one Sinner meanwhile clinched his third Grand Slam title with the 6-3, 7-6(7-4), 6-3 Australian Open final win.
Boris Becker tells Alexander Zverev he wasn’t in ‘right mindset’ before Australian Open final
The Italian didn’t concede a single break point in a dominant display against Zverev, whose fellow German Boris Becker believed was right up against it before the match had even started.
“When he walked onto the court with his shoulders slightly slumped forward and his head hanging low, I thought oh God, oh God, oh God,” Becker said on his podcast with Andrea Petkovic.
READ MORE: Alexander Zverev sends message to Jannik Sinner on social media after losing Australian Open final
“He’s tense, he’s nervous, he’s not in the right mindset. This is going to be a tough one. Then Jannik Sinner stepped onto the court and he looked like pure sunshine. Focused, chest out, head held high.
“And in a final like this of course its about, strategy, forehands, and ball control. But above all it’s about your mindset and your mentality. And for me that was the big difference between Sinner and Zverev.
“Of course, the South Tyrolean played perfectly, credit where credit is due. On hard courts, he’s almost unbeatable, not just for Zverev but for anyone.”
Jannik Sinner boasts stunning Grand Slam hard court record after Australian Open win
While Zverev may have been somewhat resigned to defeat before the match got underway, such an attitude can be empathised with given Sinner’s record on the surface.
Even if he was upbeat and confident, that would have quickly disappeared anyway given the start that the Italian made.
READ MORE: Boris Becker denies statement made about Novak Djokovic as he says he’s been incorrectly translated
And once the world number one found his feet, he simply didn’t look back, which has been a common theme at recent hard court Grand Slams.
Sinner now boasts 21 consecutive Grand Slam hard court wins, having also triumphed at the 2024 Australian Open and 2024 US Open.
Zverev will now simply be thinking what could have been, while his ongoing Grand Slam final heartache is certain to be playing on his mind over and over again.
And unfortunately for the German, the huge question of will he ever win one of the four big titles will now continue in the months to come, with the French Open his next chance to put the debate to bed.
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