Jimmy Connors weighs in on Zverev’s chances following Alcaraz defeat
Alexander Zverev did not impress in 2025, and his performances have been below the expectations of fans, his team, and himself. However, before the start of the 2026 season, the German tennis player has set clear goals.
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Zverev wants to dominate the big tournaments this year, and his performance at the Australian Open has already given indications that we can really expect big things from him.
Carlos Alcaraz managed to defeat Zverev in the semi-finals, which was much more difficult than expected.
The German tennis player put up a great resistance and created serious problems for the 22-year-old, but in the end he could not get the victory. It turned out that Zverev posed the biggest threat to the reigning Australian Open champion, which in itself was encouraging.
Jimmy Connors commented on Alexander Zverev’s performance during the podcast, believing that his result at the Australian Open probably gave the German tennis player a huge boost.
However, in order to win major tournaments, it is necessary to overcome even the most difficult obstacles like Alcaraz, and Zverev ultimately failed to do so.
“We talk about Zverev also.”- Connors said, as reported by The Tennis Gazette.
“I mean, he’s had opportunities and you know what an opportunity he had there.
I don’t know what to say about that. We’ve talked about him for five or six years now and the opportunities that he’s had…maybe this is the one he looks back on and says, ‘I know I can do it now. Just do it. Just go out, and it’s enough already’.
To be put in that situation to play Djoker [Djokovic], who had a long match too – the stars might’ve just aligned for him. But to win the tournament you got to beat them all and he had an opportunity to beat the best in the world at the time playing Alcaraz. Didn’t come through, and Alcaraz goes on to win the tournament.
The 28-year-old will try to further improve his form in the upcoming tournaments and show everyone that he is a top-quality tennis player. It is predicted that his next appearance will be at Indian Wells, but we will see if he really succeeds in that tournament.
Zverev had some brilliant performances in 2025, winning the Munich Open, and also reaching two finals – one at the Australian Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner, and the other at the Stuttgart Open, where he was defeated by Taylor Fritz. Zverev is still one of the top tennis players, as he is currently ranked world number four.
