A grand slam title still eludes the prodigiously talented Alexander Zverev, and tennis legend Rafael Nadal thinks he knows why.
Zverev is considered by many to be one of the best players in tennis history without a major title to their name. The German is a three-time Grand Slam finalist and lost his first two title matches in five sets: to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 French Open.
The 28-year-old was then beaten in straight sets by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open championship match in January.
Zverev, who has peaked at second in the world rankings, has won 24 ATP Tour titles – including two ATP Finals titles, an Olympic gold medal and seven Masters 1000 crowns.
The world No. 3 will continue his search for a maiden major at the 2025 French Open, where he will face Learner Tien in his opening match.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Nadal shared his thoughts on a host of players when asked about the current state of the ATP Tour.
“There are two players who stand head and shoulders above the rest, Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner],” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said.
“Others, like [Jack] Draper, are evolving, [Holger] Rune won in Barcelona, Casper [Ruud] played very well in Madrid, [Jakub] Mensik won in Miami. We’ll also have to see how [Joao] Fonseca develops.
“Zverev is an impressive player, but he hasn’t yet managed to win a Grand Slam. Unfortunately, I think it’s all in his head, because given his level of tennis, he should have won one by now.”
Speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid last month, Nadal backed Zverev to make his Grand Slam breakthrough.
“I think he (Zverev) is great. He’s an incredible player,” the former world No. 1 told Sky Germany.
“The only thing he’s missing is a Grand Slam title. But probably at some point, he will make it happen. He’s doing a great job.”
Nadal faced Zverev 11 times between the pair’s first meeting in 2016 and his retirement in 2024 and amassed a 7-4 record. The Spanish icon lost to Zverev in his last-ever Grand Slam match in the opening round of the 2024 French Open.
