LONDON: Alexander Zverev insisted he can surpass Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the preeminent force in tennis despite his painful loss in Sunday’s Wimbledon final.
Zverev had a chance to follow his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in June by winning Wimbledon after taking the first set in the showdown with Sinner.
But the 29-year-old was unable to topple the relentless world number one as Sinner hit back to win 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 in a bruising battle on Centre Court.
Although Zverev was frustrated to miss out on becoming the first German man to win Wimbledon since Michael Stich in 1991, he took comfort from a remarkable two months. He shook off his tag as the most talented player never to win a Grand Slam by taking the title at Roland Garros, then banished his long struggle on grass by makinghis first Wimbledon final.
Zverev will rise to number two in the ATP rankings, just behind Sinner and ahead of Alcaraz, who has missed the last two Grand Slams due to a wrist injury.
Now Zverev believes he is ready to launch a sustained assault on the world number one spot and the sport’s top prizes.
‘I hope so. That’s what I’m here to do. This year has been a progress.
I’ve been pushing those guys. I haven’t beaten them this year, but I’ve pushed them to the limits, I would say,’ he said.
‘Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik maybe here. Even though it was four sets, I think it was a very close four sets, which could have gone five as well.
‘The last couple years, I’ve always been the third guy, but I was just far away from those two. So if I get closer to them, if I can be in the mix of competing and winning thebig tournaments with them it would be great.
Sinner is the main obstacle to Zverev’s hopes of more Grand Slam glory.
The 24-year-old Italian has won his last 10 meetings with Zverev and once again the German failed to find a way to pierce his brilliant serve and metronomic groundstrokes.
‘He’s still the best player in the world. I do believe there’s only two, maybe three guys probably three guys with Novak [Djokovic] who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal,’ he said.
‘I’ve challenged him today. Not enough, obviously, because I still sit here as the loser. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner.
Zverevisconndentheisuptothe task of chasing down five-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who has now won Wimbledon in successive years, as well as battling withseven-time major winner Alcaraz, who triumphed at the All England Club in 2023 and 2024.
‘I’ve said it at the beginning of the year, and I’ve stuck to it. That’s the tennis I want to play,’ Zverev said.
‘The more I do it, the better I’ll become hopefully. Iwon a Grand Slam for the first time in my career in Paris.
‘I made it to the final here for the first time in my career. Of course, something has to be working.
‘Is it perfect yet? No. But I think we’re going towards the right direction.
SINNER ENJOYING ‘VERY RARE’ TRIUMPH Meanwhile, Sinner said he still considers winning Grand Slam tournaments a ‘very, very rare’ achievement, despite securing his fifth major title in London.
It was Sinner’s first Slam triumph since winning his maiden Wimbledon title 12 months ago,despite reeling off a remarkable six consecutive Masters 1,000 tournament victories.
‘There is no failure if you don’t win a Grand Slam,’ Sinner told reporters. ‘It’s very, very rare days.
Now I have five in my whole life. We talk about five Grand Slams.
‘But at the end of the day, it’s five days of so many other days.
‘You just want to enjoy it. Today was a very tough day. If I lose, it’s still a great day. Playing a Grand Slam final, it’s so rare and so special. So for me, I never take things for granted.
Sinner lost last year’s US Open final to great rival Alcaraz and was then beaten by Djokovic in the Australian Open semis in January.
The Italian’s most agonising loss came at the French Open last month, when he blew a two-set and 5-1 lead against unheralded Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo inthe secondround.The 24-year-old did not play again before Wimbledon, but grew into the tournament after needing five sets to beat Miomir Keemanovic in the first round.
‘I have improved throughout the whole tournament,’ Sinner said. ‘If you see the performance from the first two, three matches, then how I ended the tournament, it has been always growing.
‘That’s exactly what I needed.
Sinner is now just two behind Alcaraz’s Grand Slam tally of seven titles, with the Spaniard currently sidelined through injury.
‘He’s going to have a long, distinguished career,’ said Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill.
‘He’s going to put himself in a position to win more of these majors.
‘I don’t think this one was any more important than any of the others that he’s played, but it felt damn special.’-AFP