Alexander Zverev: (not yet) Grand Slam titles, but Olympic gold

Alexander Zverev can certainly be considered one of the best tennis players on the current ATP Tour. However, there's one thing that stands out: Zverev has never won a Grand Slam title. Yet, he has achieved something that almost every tennis player in the world would undoubtedly envy. You might be wondering: so what? Well: in 2021, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Alexander Zverev won Olympic gold by easily defeating Karen Khachanov in the final. And no one can take that away from him. Sjeng Sports compiles a player profile of Alexander Zverev, who – despite not yet having won a Grand Slam – is truly one of the best international tennis players.

Name: Alexander Zverev
Nationality: German
Born on: April 20, 1997
Tennis hand: Right
Current ATP Ranking: 4

Zverev started playing tennis at the age of five. This wasn't surprising: his father, Alexander Zverev, and mother, Irina Zvereva, both played tennis at the highest level. So did Mischa Zverev, Alexander's brother, ten years his senior. While his mother, Irina, and father, Alexander, still hold Russian citizenship, their sons, Mischa and Alexander, do not. This is because the family moved from Russia to Germany in 1991. Little Alexander Zverev, also called Sascha Zverev by some, was born in Hamburg and learned the ropes from our eastern neighbors.

The first major titles for Zverev

Germany was also the country where Zverev won his first Challenger title in 2014. Zverev had just turned seventeen when he defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu in three sets in the final in Braunschweig. A year later, he won another Challenger in Germany (Heilbronn), but his real breakthrough came at the end of 2016 with a title in St. Petersburg. The then only nineteen-year-old Zverev defeated Khachanov, Tomas Berdych, and Daniil Medvedev , among others, before facing Stan Wawrinka in the final. Zverev proved unfazed by his opponent and took the title in three sets.

Since that big victory, Zverev has truly been among the best tennis players. He quickly climbed into the world's top ten, and a year later, he was racking up title after title. In 2017, Zverev's ATP ranking had already reached number four, thanks in part to his major victories that year in Montpellier, Munich, Rome, Washington, and Montreal. In 2018, he steadily continued his streak, winning not only titles in Munich, Madrid, and Washington, but also the top-ranked player at the prestigious ATP Finals. A title that earned him a substantial amount of prize money.

Where are the Grand Slam titles?

But if he won one major title after another on the ATP Tour, how did he fare at the Grand Slams? The Grand Slam tournaments always seemed to go less well for Zverev. Alexander Zverev reached the final at the 2020 US Open, and the same was true at Roland Garros in 2024, but neither final appearance resulted in a victory. Zverev lost the US Open final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets, and Carlos Alcaraz proved too strong in the Roland Garros final. Furthermore, Zverev reached the semifinals of the world's biggest tournaments six times: twice at the Australian Open, three times at Roland Garros, and once at the US Open.

Gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo

Despite this, Zverev still has a title to his name that every tennis player undoubtedly dreams of. In 2021, he won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games. Zverev had a relatively easy draw during this tournament, until he met the great Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Naturally, the Serb was annoyed, because despite his many titles, he too has never won Olympic gold. Yet, it was Zverev who ultimately reached the final, where he faced Khachanov. This final was never close and was won by Zverev in no time: 6-3, 6-1. It is undoubtedly (one of) the greatest titles of Zverev's career, especially since he hasn't (yet) won a Grand Slam. However, Zverev is still only 27 years old, so his chances of Grand Slams are undoubtedly still to come.