THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 12, 2026

Alexander Zverev

Press Conference

J. SINNER/A. Zverev

6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Sascha, I know it's not the result you were looking for, but can you take some consolation in the level that you were playing all tournament?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I think overall, compared to where I was last year, it's obviously a very different championship for me. Yeah, of course I would have loved to lift the trophy, but he was better than me today, and he deserves to win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did the slip in the third set bother you at the end of the match or were you 100%?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: No, I overextended my knee again, similar to two years ago. I was struggling to push off on the serve a little bit. So my serve speed went down. But everything else went fine. I was moving fine from the baseline and playing from the baseline fine. But on the serve, I was struggling a little bit more.

Q. You were playing so well in that first set and through the second set, and really for most of the day. Were you having the sensation that you were in control of the match, as good as he is, as hard as that is to feel against a player of his caliber, but that if you kept up the level you were keeping up, that this could be a really good day for you?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Yeah, I mean, for sure. Well, I don't know if I was in control, but I felt like we were playing on a very, very similar level, which is extremely high. I think both of us were playing at an extremely high level the first two sets.

I missed an unfortunate forehand to start the second-set tiebreak. That kind of changed the momentum a little bit. Overall I thought that the level was very good.

I think the fall didn't help me in the third set. In the third set, my level dropped a little bit. But then I picked it up in the fourth again. I just got broken, yeah, in a little bit unlucky way, so...

That was the match. But overall I thought it was quite high level throughout the match from both of us.

Q. Felt like you were hitting your forehand today and throughout the tournament as well as many people have seen it. What do you think has unlocked that, and whether a part of you thinks, If only I'd done that a bit sooner?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I think if you can always manage to hit your forehand as hard as you can, it's always a good thing.

I think it's definitely something that I've worked on and I've been very outspoken about it this year. When I have the opportunity, I hit it. Whether I make it or miss it, that depends on the day. But I definitely go for it. That's my goal, that's my aim for this year, that's my aim for hopefully the rest of my career.

Again, I feel like with every month, it's starting to work better and better. We'll see where I'll be at in the next couple of months.

Q. How much are you satisfied about this little transaction to become a more offensive player? From my point of view, I enjoyed the performance you did today. I want to understand how much you satisfied? The other day you said it was kind of difficult to get used to do that in a previous press conference.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I've said it at the beginning of the year, and I've stuck to it. That's the tennis I want to play. That's the game style I want to play. There were matches in the beginning of the year where I was struggling a bit more with this style, but I was consistently doing it.

The more I do it, the better I'll become hopefully. Again, I won a Grand Slam for the first time in my career in Paris. I made it to the finals 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 with it.

Q. You said on the court for the first time you thought you could win this tournament. What do you think you need to do more to actually win the tournament?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Same thing. Continue doing the same thing. Continue working on the things I've been working on from the beginning of the year. Continue this path. I think, yeah, just continue doing the same thing.

Q. There's so much talk the last couple years about the Sinner/Alcaraz rivalry. After the last two Grand Slams, do you feel even when Alcaraz comes back, you can keep challenging these two? Maybe make it a big three in tennis?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: I hope so. That's what I'm here to do. Again, I think this year, as I said, has been a progress. I think I've been pushing those guys. I haven't beaten them this year, but I've pushed them to the limits, I would say.

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.

But yeah, I think that's the goal. That's what I'm working on my game for. There was always, like, this conversation who will be the third guy, the search for the third guy. Kind of the last couple years, I've always been the third guy, but I was just far away from those two.

But I've always been number three in a way. So if I get closer to them, if I can be in the mix of of course competing and winning the big tournaments with them, alongside them, it would be great.

Q. The matchup with Jannik historically, especially recently, hasn't been as close or gone your way. Today with the new style and also now with this level today, do you feel like you've closed the gap or bridged the gap? Do you feel more confident going into matches with Jannik moving forward?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV: Look, I think yeah. He's still the best player in the world. I do believe that. I think he is. I do believe there's only two, maybe three guys - probably three guys with Novak, you have to give Novak that - who can challenge him. All of us have to be working for that goal. I'll continue working for that goal.

I think I've challenged him today. Not enough, obviously, 'cause I still sit here as the loser, as the loser of the match. I will continue doing that. The big tournaments are still around the corner.