Alexander Zverev acknowledged that 2025 has been a year to forget so far, but promised to bring his best to the US Open.
The German started 2025 in phenomenal fashion by reaching the showpiece match at the Australian Open, which he lost to Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-6(4),6-3.
Zverev is currently occupying the third spot in the ATP rankings and the Live ATP Race to Turin, but hasn’t reached the last four at any of the Masters 1000 events which have been contested so far.
Most recently, the two-time Grand Slam finalist was upset by Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the opening round of Wimbledon.
“To be honest, from a personal standpoint, it’s been a terrible year so far,” admitted Zverev during his appearance on the Nothing Major podcast.
“Many times, I’ve felt lost on the court, especially after the Australian Open final.
“I lost another Grand Slam final. I remember going into that match thinking I was going to win. In the other two, I had so many opportunities – they were five-set battles.
“I played Carlos (Alcaraz) at Roland-Garros last year, and for me, facing Carlos on clay is one of the toughest challenges in tennis right now. This year, against Jannik (Sinner), I went in with confidence, but I got smoked.
“Apart from serving, he did everything much better than me. I walked off the court thinking, ‘I really didn’t know what to do.’ I went through a very tough mental period after that match.
“I made some mistakes. First, instead of resting at home and processing what had just happened, I only spent three days at home and flew straight to Argentina after playing a Grand Slam final.
“I had some of my best off-court moments in Argentina, but when I was playing, I felt like my motivation wasn’t the same, like I was playing awful tennis.
“Playing a tournament just days after Melbourne was a big mistake. In a way, I burned out for several months. I didn’t feel motivated to play, to train, I wasn’t enjoying myself on the court.
“I lost quite a few matches to players I shouldn’t be losing to, even when I was ahead in the score. I paid the price.”
However, since Wimbledon, Zverev has been spotted practising alongside renowned coach Toni Nadal, the former coach of his nephew, Rafael Nadal.
The pair were pictured at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, with the German training on their main court for multiple days in order to gain crucial advice from the Spaniard.
Despite not being an official collaboration, Zverev believes that he is now ‘fresher’ and ready to return to his best at the US Open.
“Wimbledon wasn’t the best experience for me, that’s for sure,” continued the world No 3.
“But I think I’ve managed to learn some good lessons from the defeat. I withdrew from several tournaments, took some time off, and now I feel fresher, ready to compete again.
“Maybe I won’t play my best tennis in Canada or Cincinnati, but I feel that by the US Open, I’ll be back in a position to be a credible title contender, and that’s where I want to be.”
It was at the New York event where Zverev came excruciatingly close to claiming a maiden grand Slam, having been two-sets-and-a-break up over Dominic Thiem in the final of the 2020 edition, before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak.
However, since the heartbreak, the German has continued his deep runs at the US Open, reaching the last eight or better at his three most recent appearances.
