Zverev Eyes Maiden Grand Slam Title After Reaching Australian Open Final
Alexander Zverev has set his sights on winning his maiden Grand Slam title after reaching the Australian Open final, where he will face either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton.
Zverev's progression to his third Grand Slam final, and first at Melbourne Park, was sealed when Djokovic succumbed to a torn muscle in his upper left leg and pulled out after losing the first set 7-6(5) on Friday. The match lasted only an hour and 21 minutes, a far cry from the lengthy battle Zverev had anticipated against the Serbian great.
Despite the unexpected brevity of the match, Zverev felt that it would not disrupt his rhythm ahead of Sunday's final against Jannik Sinner. “I still think that I played a high-level set. I think we both did,” Zverev told reporters. “So in that regard, I still played tennis, right? It's not like it was a withdrawal from the get-go, and I would have had, what, four days off. That would have been maybe a bit too much because then you feel like you're starting a new tournament.”
Zverev acknowledged that Djokovic's retirement was not an ideal scenario, but he was focused on seizing the opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title. “It's nothing that, of course, I wished for, but it happened. I'm obviously happy that I have another shot at winning a Grand Slam,” he said.
Zverev is finding the lines and on his way to an #AusOpen final!@Pirelli • #Pirelli • #Control • #AusOpen • #AO2025 • @wwos • @ESPN • @Eurosport • @WOWOWtennis pic.twitter.com/nmUV8dxaDj
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
Alexander Zverev has long been touted as a future Grand Slam champion, but he has faced disappointment in his previous major finals. The German's first Grand Slam final appearance came at the 2020 US Open, where he squandered a two-set lead to lose to Dominic Thiem. Four years later, Zverev reached his second major final at the French Open, only to be overhauled in five sets by the brilliant Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev acknowledged that he had struggled with fatigue in the final sets of his French Open defeat, prompting him to reunite with trainer Jez Green in the off-season. The focus was on building the fitness needed to compete with the likes of Alcaraz and other top players. Zverev also revealed that he had sought advice from Novak Djokovic in Shanghai last year, following his quarter-final exit at the US Open. “I was just asking him how it was for him when he was having difficult moments, you know, 2016, '17 and all that, how he was coming back,” said Zverev. “He was always very open to me. We had very long chats there, as well. We practised quite a lot together in Shanghai, funnily enough.”
Alexander Zverev is through to the Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retires following the first set. pic.twitter.com/qDevR2P0Z4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) January 24, 2025
Zverev expressed his admiration for Djokovic, who was forced to retire from their semi-final match due to injury. The German was disappointed to see Djokovic booed by some fans as he exited the court. Zverev thanked Djokovic for his support ahead of Sunday's final, saying: “That means a lot to me, especially from Novak, who I admire and respect so much.” With his sights set on the final, Zverev exuded confidence, stating: “As I said, I'm looking forward to Sunday. I do feel like I have done the work, and I do feel like I'm ready for it.”
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