After losing the French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz Tim Henman has predicted whether Alexander Zverev will win a Grand Slam.
The German endured an exhausting two weeks in Paris in which he spent a combined total of almost 24 hours on court.
He defeated 14-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal in round one and came through gruelling back-to-back five-setters against Tallon Griekspoor and Holger Rune.
However he was unable to win his third final set match of the tournament in Sunday’s French Open final and his wait for a major title continues.
Tim Henman comments on if Alexander Zverev will become a Grand Slam champion
Following Zverev’s defeat, Henman wondered if the fourth seed would ever claim one of tennis’ four most prestigious trophies.
When asked if Zverev’s defeat will have a significant impact on whether he can win a major, Henman told Eurosport: “I think it will. His game is probably better than it’s ever been but the competition is certainly not getting any easier.”
After three previous semi-final appearances at Roland Garros Zverev finally made it to the championship match, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz.
After falling behind early in his first Grand Slam final since the 2020 US Open, the 27-year-old turned the tables as he levelled the match and came back from 5-3 down in the third set to take it 7-5.
But after taking a medical time out, Alcaraz worked his way back into the match and began to overwhelm Zverev with his power, tactical nous and mental strength.
The Spaniard lost just three more games for the rest of the match and won a five set battle 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in four hours and 19 minutes to triumph on the Parisian clay.
What are Alexander Zverev’s best results at Grand Slams?
After winning the French Open, Alcaraz now has more majors under his belt than every player born in the 1990’s combined, including Zverev.
The reigning Olympic champion has not always been able to deliver his best tennis at the majors. At the Australian Open he has made it as far as the semi-finals. In 2020 he lost to Dominic Thiem and he was beaten by Daniil Medvedev in 2024 despite being up two sets to love.
Zverev’s weakest major is Wimbledon, where he has failed to get past the fourth round. His two finals came at Roland Garros on Sunday and the 2020 US Open.
He was a set away from defeating Thiem at Flushing Meadows before the Austrian came back to win his only major 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(6).
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