MELBOURNE, Australia — Alexander Zverev expressed feeling “quite down” and “quite emotional” after narrowly missing out on capturing his first Grand Slam title once again. Unlike his past major final appearances — both of which were hard-fought five-set matches where he held a lead — Zverev faced a more definitive defeat in the recent Australian Open final. The match concluded with defending champion Jannik Sinner securing victory with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
“I’m doing everything I can. I’m working as hard as I ever did. I think I’m doing all the right things off-court. I think I’m practicing the right things. But I lost in straight sets today. I mean, those are facts. That is a fact. I lost to Jannik in straight sets today,” reflected Zverev, the 27-year-old German currently ranked No. 2, who felt a stark difference between his performance and the apparent prowess of the No. 1 ranked Sinner during the match.
Zverev shared his hopes, stating, “I don’t want to end my career as the best player of all time to never win a Grand Slam, that’s for sure.” His post-match remarks were momentarily disrupted when someone in Rod Laver Arena shouted out the names of two women who have previously accused him of physical abuse. “I’ll keep doing everything I can to lift one of those trophies,” he added, demonstrating his determination to succeed.
Historically, Zverev is now one of seven men in the Open era, starting from 1968, to have an 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals. Of the others in this group, five eventually won at least one major title, with only Casper Ruud, the sole active player among them, yet to achieve that milestone.
During the trophy presentation, Sinner extended his support to Zverev, offering an encouraging gesture and words of motivation. “Keep believing in yourself,” Sinner stated. “Keep working hard, because we all believe that you can lift one of these very, very soon.” His coach, Simone Vagnozzi, also expressed hope that Zverev would eventually secure a Grand Slam title, declaring, “I really hope, sooner or later, he wins a Slam, because he deserves it.”
Previous attempts at claiming a Grand Slam championship for Zverev were marked by agonizing near-wins: in the 2020 U.S. Open final, he held a two-set advantage and a match point against Dominic Thiem but ultimately fell short, and at the 2024 French Open, he similarly led Carlos Alcaraz before relinquishing the lead.
In the Australian Open final, however, Zverev struggled to find consistent footing, often showing visible frustration by breaking his rackets. His best chance came when he was just two points away from clinching the second set, but Sinner regained control, winning the next four points, effectively sealing Zverev’s fate in the match.
“That was a massive point. I think whoever wins that set can gain a bit of momentum. Being down two sets to love is tough; his confidence rises, while mine dips,” Zverev explained. “If the score was one set all, maybe I would have had a chance. But I didn’t stop fighting, and I didn’t stop believing. In the third set, I felt he outplayed me more than in the previous sets.”