Alexander Zverev sparked plenty of debate after his recent comments regarding Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev said there is a gap between Sinner and the other three members of the top four, but then claimed there is another gap between himself, Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic to the rest of the tour.
His comments suggested he is on the same level as both the Spaniard and the Serb, despite never winning a Grand Slam.
Can any of these four players stop Jannik Sinner winning the French Open this year?
Is there anyone else you think could be a threat to Sinner?
Responding to Zverev, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, emphasised that the ‘new two’ are on a level of their own.
Patrick Mouratoglou responds to Alexander Zverev’s comments
“Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, Zverev and the rest of the world,” began Mouratoglou in a post on Instagram.
“After the Australian Open, everybody was saying ‘okay Alcaraz is above Jannik.’ And now everybody says ‘Sinner is above Alcaraz.’ No, they are at the same level. I know in tennis, things change very fast.
“Now, of course, in terms of points, Zverev is closer to Sinner because Alcaraz is injured, he is not playing. But the situation doesn’t change.
Is men’s tennis boring without Carlos Alcaraz?
“He’s just injured at the moment. But there are still two guys that are above the rest of the pack.
“Is Zverev better than most of the players? Yes, of course! But he puts himself in the same group as Alcaraz. No. You cannot do that. The gap between Zverev and Novak and Alcaraz and Sinner is big.”
Alexander Zverev’s results on the ATP Tour this year
Zverev has enjoyed a solid year on the ATP Tour so far, particularly at Masters 1000 competitions.
The 29-year-old has reached the semifinals at every big event in 2026, the first of which was the Australian Open, where he came agonisingly close to beating eventual champion Alcaraz.
Following an early exit in Acapulco, Zverev made consecutive semifinals in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo, but lost to Sinner each time.
He made the semifinal in Munich and then reached the first final of his season at the Madrid Open, but once again fell to Sinner.
Zverev’s last title came at the Munich Open in 2025, and his last Masters crown was captured in Paris during the 2024 season.
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