Alexander Zverev has endured a frustrating period in his career: the German tennis player has failed to make adequate progress, despite displaying early potential. In contrast, Daniil Medvedev has blossomed into a standout at Grand Slams, winning the US Open in 2021 and reaching the final of the Australian Open in 2022.
Zverev’s progress has been stymied and his annoyance at his lack of development perhaps boiled over on the court when he lashed out at an umpire in a doubles match at the Mexican Open.
The 25-year-old was removed from both the singles and doubles competitions as a result of his behaviour and was even perhaps lucky to avoid a lengthy suspension from the ATP Tour. He was then knocked out in the first round of Indian Wells before losing out in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.
A change in surface yielded a strong run in the Monte-Carlo Masters, only for Zverev to then lose out at the hands of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals. Zverev has plenty of talent on his side and is currently backed at odds of 14/1 in the tennis betting odds from Betfair to win the French Open, but time is of the essence for the German to finally unlock his potential and establish himself as one of the most dominant players in the world.
Andy Murray took time to win his first Grand Slam after breaking onto the circuit at the age of 18. Murray was 25, the same age that Zverev is now, before he triumphed at the US Open and followed up his success a year later with a victory over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. The Scot took time to get over the line but had reached the finals of four Grand Slams before he claimed his victory at Flushing Meadows, and also won a Gold Medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
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Zverev has the Gold Medal from his exploits in Tokyo and his win over Karen Khachanov, and the hope was that he would push on after his ground-breaking moment the same way in which Murray used his momentum to win the US Open. However, it has not been the case. At the 2021 US Open, Zverev battled hard against Djokovic in the semi-finals but fell to a narrow defeat in the same manner as his loss to Dominic Thiem in the final a year earlier.
The French Open offers Zverev another great opportunity to press over the line. He has showcased his diverse skillset to win at Roland-Garros after reaching the semi-finals last season. Unfortunately, he came across Tsitsipas, who fended off the German’s comeback attempt after taking a 2-0 lead, to advance to the final.
Zverev has produced great moments on the court, yet unfortunately for the 25-year-old, none have come at decisive times at Grand Slams. He has won two ATP Tour Finals, defeating Djokovic in 2018 and Medvedev in 2021. The German overcame Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Olympics before his triumph over Khachanov. The difference is the pressure of the occasion. All tennis players strive to win a Grand Slam, and the pressure to get over the line can be too much for even the most talented players on the tour.
Zverev has shown that the magnitude of the task has affected his composure. To conquer his demons, he must learn to calm his emotions on the court as when he has had a clear mind away from the majors, he has delivered excellent results. All eyes will be on the German at Roland-Garros.
