Alexander Zverev entered 2026 as the best player of his generation to never win a Grand Slam. By the end of the year, he will have won two: the French Open and the US Open. The former didn't include Carlos Alcaraz, and the latter didn't include Jannik Sinner. Why? Zverev's brother has an idea.
Mischa Zverev, who often travels with his brother as his manager and adjunct assistant coach (Alexander is coached by his father, Alexander Sr.), thinks the reason that Alcaraz and Sinner missed some majors and did win others was that the players weren't "strong enough."
Mischa Zverev told Sport1, according to Tennis365, "Why weren’t (Alcaraz and Sinner at the Slams)? Because they were injured? Because, in some way, you’re not strong enough, or because you’ve done too much. Because you didn’t rest when you needed to."
Alexander Zverev's brother says Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz not strong enough
Of course, injuries happen no matter how much rest a player gets. Alexander Zverev was injured at the 2023 French Open, for instance, and missed months due to a right ankle injury. He eventually returned and obviously played well, and Alcaraz and Sinner will probably do the same.
Of course, Mischa is just standing up for his brother, and any criticism that might be directed at Alexander for winning majors when one of the two best players on the ATP Tour was not involved. Zverev took advantage of those absences more than other players, and he deserves credit for that.
But tennis fans can't pretend that the German has suddenly reached the same level as a healthy Alcaraz and Sinner. Zverev is a great player, and he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame one day, rightfully so based on his play. But he isn't as good as Alcaraz or Sinner when both are fully healthy.
While Alcaraz leads the head-to-head against Zverev 7-6, the Spaniard has won four of the last five times they have met, and seven of the last 11.
Sinner's lead over Zverev in their head-to-head matches is even more one-sided. The Italian leads 11-4, but has won the last 10 meetings. In the last seven matches, Zverev has won just one set.
For Mischa Zverev to imply that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner simply don't know how to manage their schedules and training well enough to stay fit is just wrong. No one would have said that about Alexander, one of the fittest players on tour, when he was hurt in 2023. Injuries happen.
Let's see how 2027 plays out, assuming Alcaraz and Sinner return fully healthy (Alcaraz played at the US Open, but that was his first tournament since April). Will Zverev, who only has two top-10 wins all year, win more majors or recede to a supporting role behind the two greatest stars on the ATP Tour: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?
